Monday, March 2, 2015

NY Times take on Loire natural wines

from: In France, Pesticides Get in Way of Natural Wines (NY Times) 

The first of the weekend tastings, Renaissance, in Angers on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, brought together producers who make organic, pesticide-free, but not necessarily sulfite-free, wines.  ...



If the Renaissance salon was the most established of the nonpesticide tastings, Les Anonymes, a short distance away, was the most radical and uncompromising...


In Saumur, about 26 miles away, a much larger group of nearly 200 winemakers from 15 countries displayed its wares in a warren of cold, damp troglodyte caves. Called La Dive Bouteille, it has become the world’s largest annual natural wine exposition, with 3,000 visitors this year....

The article lists the three largest pesticide users as the United States, Japan and France, and suggests restricting pesticide use is gaining popularity.  Despite this:

"The pesticide and big-agriculture lobbies are strong, resisting any initiative that could affect farm yields, so there is little political will to take risks. In late January, the French agriculture minister, Stéphane Le Foll, announced that a government pledge to cut pesticide use in half by 2018 would be delayed until 2025..."
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