Now that the idea of growing grapes organically and biodynamically has become oh-so-buzzworthy and draws more media attention than ever, I’ve been thinking about what happens to all those juicy eco-friendly grapes after they’ve been harvested, when they move on to the crushpad, fermentation tank, and barrel. If wines made from grapes grown without toxic chemicals taste better, shouldn’t wines made naturally in the cellar taste better, too?
That question was on my mind at a recent tasting of Italian wines imported by New York-based Louis/Dressner, which specializes 
in what they term ‘real’ wine. The partnership of Joe Dressner, his wife Denyse Louis, and Kevin McKenna have been at this for quite a while and their portfolio has grown to about sixty estates, mostly in France, especially the Loire Valley. But they also bring in wines from a dozen or so Italian producers, seven of whom were pouring their wines.
From the beginning, Louis/Dressner has looked for wines with authenticity that reflect the terroir and the vintage, as well as the passionate vignerons behind them. Their guidelines for choosing which estates to work with amount to a manifesto for natural winemaking.
Besides following organic methods in the vineyard, these Italian vignaioli (like all Louis/Dressner’s estates) use wild yeasts, hand harvest, obtain concentration through low yields instead of concentrators, don’t chaptalize, filter (or do it minimally), or chemically adjust, nor do they try to fashion wines to certain styles through manipulation.
So how good are they? More on that later.
You may be surprised to learn that there’s no official definition of what, exactly, ‘natural’ or ‘non-interventionist’ winemaking is. I’m no Luddite–I’m writing this on my computer, without which I would be lost–but I like the idea of wines being made as naturally as possible. Many of the most fascinating bottles I’ve ever tasted fall into the natural winemaking camp. Still, I’m not sure yet exactly where I draw the line in the terroir, tradition, and authenticity vs. technologically-manipulated ‘industrial’ wine conundrum. Electricity, yes, but color enhancers? The thought makes me queasy.
There are dozens and dozens of ways wineries can and do enhance–or correct–less than perfect grapes and wines, from using yeasts designed to produce particular flavors and aromas to throwing in Mega Purple (a natural reduced extract of grape skins) to deepen color to adjusting acid if a wine lacks it. The U.S. government permits 200 additives in wine! Not to mention controversial methods such as micro-oxygenation to smooth out tannins and reverse osmosis to lower alcohol, which ignite so many heated arguments among pro and con wine pundits and winemakers, often played out ad nauseum in the blogosphere.
Certification that the wine is made from organically grown grapes doesn’t guarantee natural winemaking–though most consumers I talk to think it does.
When I put the question of how all this relates to growing grapes biodynamically to a panel of west coast biodynamic producers at the 2nd annual American Biodynamic Forum in San Francisco, which I moderated last November, I found their responses far from satisfying. Biodynamic certifying agency DEMETER has now added winemaking guidelines for wineries that want to put ‘certified Biodynamic wine’ or ‘Demeter wine’ (as opposed to ‘made from Biodynamically grown grapes’) on the label. Confusing, yes, and oak chips and yeast nutrients are still permitted.
Starting with the 2007 vintage, Bonny Doon Vineyards will list all ingredients, such as tartaric acid, yeast nutrients, and enzymes, on the label. All to the good, in my view. Maybe requiring prominent ingredient labeling would shame producers into being more natural in their winemaking.
None of this, of course, guarantees that the wines will be any good. Which brings me back to the Louis/Dressner tasting.
I sipped and spat my way through 40 wines from eleven estates in various regions of Italy, all made by natural methods, and talked to the seven attending vignaioli who were there. Some of the wines carry organic certification on the label. I didn’t like all of them, but many were stunners and most were bargains. I was struck with how very individual, distinctive, and interesting every one of them was. Though a few suffered from oxidation, none were fruit bombs, none were reeking with oak, none had the hot finish of too much alcohol. In a world with far too many expensive yet indifferent and indistinguishable Chardonnays and pumped-up super fruity cabs, these tasted like, well, real wine.
Here’s my selection:
2005 Azienda Agricola Montesecondo Toscana Rosso IGT ($15) Tuscany. Remember what some Chianti used to taste 
like? This juicy, bright red with crisp, vibrant fruit, and great purity is a blend of Sangiovese and Canaiolo grown in the historic Chianti Classico zone. However, it was aged in stainless, not a total departure from tradition as Chianti was historically made using much less oak than it is today. The reason it’s labeled IGT is a complicated story.
Musician, composer and former New Yorker Silvio Messana has been making Chianti Classico and other reds from family-owned vineyards since 2000 and has recently adopted biodynamic practices. Historically Chianti Classico used much less oak than today, the first vintage of this wine was denied DOCG status by the Chianti Classico Consortium for not having enough color. Messana could have bumped it up with enhancers, but chose not to. 89
His delicious 2005 Chianti Classico (about $25) which is aged in oak, does carry DOCG. 92
2003 Azienda Agricola Roagna Barolo Vigna Rionda ($62) Piedmont. From grapes grown in a historic plot of one of the region’s legendary sites, this wine is a complex of flavors–dark cherries, spice, licorice, and leather–and vibrant despite the hot vintage. There’s a fine balance of both delicacy and power.
The family estate, which deserves to be much better known here, has deep roots in Barbaresco. Luca Roagna is the fourth generation to steer the property, which remains committed to making wine in a very classic, traditional style. 93
Their 1999 Roagna Barbaresco Paje ($55) is another stunner, deep and complex, with an elegant structure. 90
2006 Bera Vittorio & Figli Moscato d’Asti Canelli ($17) Piedmont (Organic). Too many examples of Moscato d’Asti 
have a kind of synthetic taste; not so this one, made completely from Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains grapes from the most prestigious areas of Moscato production. With its peachy fresh nose, lively fruity-sweet flavors, and low alcohol, it’s an ideal summer day wine. It’s made in the historic way, by stopping fermentation, filtering and chilling the must, which then spontaneously referments. 90
Alessandra and Gianluigi Bera, a sister and brother team, manage the Bera family farm in the hills above Canelli. I also tasted their excellent Dolcetto and Barberas, as well as 2006 Bianco Piemontese Arcese ($12), an intriguing, crisp white blend of Cortese, Favorita, and Arneis grapes vinified without sulphur. 88
2006 Cascina ‘Tavijn Grignolino d’Asti ($15) Piedmont. This very pale red from the Asti province has flavors of earth and tart bitter cherries, and while it looks like a rosé, it has more body. I was fantasizing gulping it down with hard Italian sausages and bites of cheese. Grignolino is thought of as a humble grape, but this wine is perhaps the best example I’ve ever tasted. 88
Nadia Verrua is in charge of winemaking at the family estate, which also produces the fascinating
2006 Cascina ‘Tavijn Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato ($24). A forgotten, almost extinct native grape that used to be made into a sweet wine, Ruchè is now being made as a dry wine by 20 winemakers in 7 villages. The rose petal nose and plumy, rich flavors have a wild element that is completely intriguing. This is a more serious wine than the Grignolino, but still aimed for drinking young. 90
2004 Weingut Nusserhof Lagrein Riserva ($20) Southern Tyrol, Bolzano (Certified organic). Amazingly the Nusserhof vineyards, planted with two indigenous varieties, sit in the center of the city of Bolzano. My favorite was the Lagrein, which is intense, juicy, and refreshing, with a distinctive fruity taste of berries and attractive elegance. The wine is vinified in stainless and aged in large neutral barrels, so there’s no taste of wood. 92
2006 Cascina degli Ulivi Gavi Filagnotti ($20) Piedmont (Certified Biodynamic). Stefano Bellotti, owner/winemaker of the estate has been farming biodynamically for more than 20 years and the 2006 is made with no sulfites. An older bottling of Gavi from this special single vineyard seemed a bit oxydized to me, but this one had richness, complex spiced apple and pear flavors, and freshness that the other did not. 88
Another interesting wine was 2004 Monferrato Dolcetto Terre Rosee Nibiô ($18), from a very old strain of Dolcetto, with a taste of earth, licorice, and berries. 88