27 August, 2008
Page 8
Randall Grahm, the quixotic owner/winemaker at Bonny Doon Winery in California, sent shock waves through the US wine industry this month when he released new wines listing all ingredients on the label.
The industry has been fighting the idea of ingredient labelling for wine for decades as various public health groups called for every ingredient used in wine production to be listed on the label - the same regulation that applies to all foods in the US. This would include items like fish bladders (used in fining wines) and other ingredients that might put the consumer off the wine in the bottle.
Grahm said he made the move because he hoped that if he led the way, it would force other wineries to "rely less upon an alphabet soup of additives to 'improve' their wines." Grahm believes that such "wine helpers" make it impossible to present the true taste of terroir. Grahm is often critical of New World wines because he believes they lack a sense of place.
The first Bonny Doon
selections with ingredient labelling list tartaric acid, bentonite, yeast nutrients, enzymes and sulphur dioxide, along with wine grapes. Grahm noted that those additives are "utterly benign".
Grahm has been a passionate innovator in California wine circles and was one of the first to champion Rhône varietals in the state.
The first Bonny Doon Vineyard wines featuring the new labels are the Demeter certified Biodynamic 2007 Ca' del Solo Albariño and the 2007 Ca' del Solo Muscat.
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