Clean Green and Organic

Our tasting features six wines; three labels hail from Brancott Vineyards, perhaps better known to B.C. consumers as Montana Wines (the name was changed in North America to prevent our geographically-challenged neighbours to the south from thinking the 25-year old New Zealand winery was in the state of Montana); the other three wines are from noted Mendocino County's organic producer Bonterra Vineyards

The Montana /Brancott Winery opened in Marlborough back in 1977 when the region was more famous for sheep farming than grape growing. Marlborough's cool but seldom freezing climate allows growers to gamble and leave grapes on the vine for an extended period of time. The extra-long hang time intensifies the varietal flavours in the grapes, something particularly apparent in the region's highly assertive sauvignon blanc.

The most famous, and signature label, at Montana is the Brancott Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2001. Look for typical mineral, gooseberry, bell pepper, grassy aromas that in 2001 are slightly more elegant and round on the palate compared to some intense earlier versions. It's dry with citrus rind, mineral, herbaceous bell pepper flavours, which lend themselves to pairing with oysters and mussels.

The Brancott Vineyards Chardonnay 2002 is grown further north, at Gisborne, which explains the riper aromas of honey and peach with butter, pineapple and vanilla notes in the background. Its dry and round with refreshing lemon rind, honey and spicy lees flavours. The finish is soft and dry with hints of butterscotch. It's a solid, everyday chardonnay for the price.

Smoked jalapeno, spicy, resiny, licorice aromas mark the nose of the Brancott Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2001. Cassis and pepper flavour its cool-climate demeanour, complete with a dry, tight, slightly acidic structure and very smoky, bell pepper, olive, spicy resiny flavours. Not unlike the dry savoury reds of B.C., this wine is best served with grilled chicken or beef.

On the other side of the Pacific Ocean, California's Bonterra Vineyards, long at the forefront of sustainable viticulture, continues to raise the organic wine bar.

Most of Bonterra's grapes come off the 378-acre Bonterra Ranch at Hopland in southern Mendocino County. The ranch is certified bio-dynamic, an innovative form of organic viticulture based on the philosophies of early 20th-century Austrian scientist Rudolf Steiner, which is practised in some parts of Europe and California.

Bonterra is very much a working ranch where grape growing is only part of the mix. By diversifying crops and livestock and building up soil with crop residues and manures, Bonterra Ranch is the foundation of the winery's grape-growing philosophy -- be it sustainable, organically farmed, organic or bio-dynamic -- in the decades to come.

The use of a mobile chicken coop is just one example of the synergies that add to Bonterra's harmony. The coop is pulled into different areas of the vineyard and the chickens work the rows between vines, eating "bad" bugs and fertilizing the soil as they go.

Alternating rows of cover crops and root crops between the grapevines simultaneously feeds the soil and breaks it up, while sheep are run through the vineyards once or twice a season to graze on the grass and again fertilize the soil.

Today, all Bonterra wines are made entirely from grapes certified by the state of California as "organically grown" because the wines are produced using minimal sulphites in order to ensure freshness and prevent oxidation.

While sulphites remain a question mark for those who want a rigorously organic wine, it's not an issue at Bonterra, where minimal amounts preserve an organically grown product. And let's be honest; without the use of sulphites, the wine might be organic but the chances of it getting to your table in a drinkable state are just about nil.

As idyllic as the Bonterra ranch is, the best part of the Bonterra story is that wines are worth drinking, too. The Bonterra Vineyards Viognier 2001 has a floral, honey, spicy, orange creamsicle aroma. The textures are ripe and round the fruit fresh and crisp with elegant spicy, honey, vanilla, orange mango flavours and a creamy finish. This is an attractive style for viognier.

A spicy, peppery, meaty nose marks the Bonterra Vineyards Syrah 1999, along with black raspberry jam and floral notes. Savoury and dry, its moderate tannins are balanced with cedar, smoky, herbal flavours mixed with spicy black cherry and licorice flavours. It's another attractive red that you might want to match with braised lamb shanks throughout the upcoming rainy season.

The Bonterra Vineyards Zinfandel 2000 was not as exciting despite its lifted, prune/plum/cherry jam nose that is laced with spicy, licorice root aromas. Dry and lean, its cedary, smoky cherry licorice flavours will require a rich cassoulet or duck confit to smooth out the dry edges.

BRANCOTT VINEYARDS (NEW ZEALAND), BONTERRA VINEYARDS (CALIFORNIA)

Wine: Brancott Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2001, Marlborough, South Island, N.Z.
Price: $15.99
UPC: 9414024524366
Score: 14.5/20
Comments: A crisp style that works well with oysters and mussels.

Wine: Brancott Vineyards Chardonnay 2002, Gisborne, New Zealand
Price: $15.99
UPC: 9414024524663
Score: 14/20
Comments: Bright honey, peach, pineapple and vanilla notes.

Wine: Brancott Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2001, New Zealand
Price: $15.99
UPC: 9414024721758
Score: 14/20
Comments: Smoked jalapeno and spicy licorice flavours.

Wine: Bonterra Vineyards Viognier 2001, Mendocino County, California
Price: $24.99
UPC: 082896740437
Score: 15.5/20
Comments: Honey, spicy, orange mango flavours and a creamy finish.

Wine: Bonterra Vineyards Syrah 1999, Mendocino County, California
Price: $24.99
UPC: 82896077816
Score: 15.5/20
Comments: Cedar, spice and smoky black coffee/cherry flavours.

Wine: Bonterra Vineyards Zinfandel 2000, Mendocino County, California
Price: $24.99
UPC: 82896780129
Score: 14/20
Comments: Duck confit would suit the lean cedar, chocolate flavours.