Continuing to taste the organic wines I purchased at Whole Foods in their “Eco Friendly”wine section, we paired a Frey Vineyards Sangiovese and a Parducci Sustainable Red with herb roasted chicken with a pasta and vegetables. The Frey Vineyard Sangiovese is labeled an “Organic Wine”because it was made from certified organic grapes and no sulfites were added in the winemaking process. The Parducci was also made from organically certified vineyards but to better preserve the wine, sulfites were added. For this reason, the term “Organic Wine”cannot be placed on the label. However, it is allowable to put “Made from Organically Grown Grapes” on the label.
Our dinner guests and we enjoyed both bottles of wine. They both were good wines not exactly great, but worthy of buying again for everyday wine drinking. The Sangiovese did not have the slightly offensive aftertaste that I detected in the Frey Petite Sirah that I reviewed in my last post. I was afraid that might be a characteristic of what happens when you make 100% organic wine. The Sangiovese was much better than the Petite and we agreed a good deal for a Sangiovese at $15.99. With its fruity flavors and mellow body, this was a great match with our dinner.
The Sustainable Red from Parducci at $10.99 is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Primitivo, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Viognier grapes all from Mendocino County. We really enjoyed this nicely-balanced wine with just a hint of earthiness. At $10.99 it is a very good value.
I will continue the quest to find wines that come from organically grown vineyards. If it is true what the organic experts are touting, that fruit grown organically contains more nutrients, then maybe drinking organic wines will double the health benefits of wine. I sure hope so.
Our ratings based on a Five Point Scale
Frey Vineyards Sangiovese – 3.5
Parducci Sustainable Red — 3.5