California Wine: Super Natural
Working in the wine industry, I am exposed to salespeople using terms like organic, biodynamic, and occasionally, natural. “Organic” today holds about as much credibility as the term foodie: it is used ubiquitously and often as an afterthought to help sell a product.
“Biodynamic” holds a lot more credence despite wrongly being likened to witchcraft. And the term “natural” comes by only once and a while, and is both mysterious and rare in its application. At La Clarine farm, nestled in the Sierra Foothills, Caroline Hoel and Hank Beckmeyer see the winemaking process as a dance between the earth, the vines, the weather and the hand of man.
