Amity Gamay Noir Eco-Wine 06 Organic NSA
A nose loaded with fruit leads into a round, fleshy wine. It pairs well with bar-b-que and seafood served with tomato or spicy sauces.
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Seattle Post Intelligencer says:
CONSUMERS SEARCHING for organic wines have found pickings slim. There are plenty of wines made from organic grapes as more grape growers embrace those methods, but a truly organic wine can't have sulfites added during processing, and there are precious few of those. Adding to the dearth of choices: Many truly organic wines really aren't that good. One reason is that a wine without sulfites can be pretty unstable and spoils easily, so it's worth noting when a really good one comes along.
Myron Redford, co-owner and winemaker at Amity Vineyards in Oregon's Willamette Valley, which has been putting out some of the best pinots in that state for more than 30 years, has been producing one of the most successful truly organic wines since 1990. What is impressive about his Eco-Wine Pinot Noir is that it is not just a good sulfite-free wine but really a great product.
"I was convinced that with good grapes and careful cellar practices we could get a good pinot noir in the bottle without sulfites," Redford said, "and we did." Sulfites have been used for centuries to stabilize wines and purify barrels. They also occur naturally during fermentation. Because a small percentage of people have an asthmalike reaction to the substance (sorry, but it is not the cause of headaches), a warning label has been required on wines containing more than a certain amount. Less than that amount and no label is required. Redford's Eco-Wine is so low in sulfites that none can be found during tests. So, not only is he not required to put a warning label on his wines but he also can boast on the bottle that there are "no detectable sulfites" in the wine. This wine is good enough to have been awarded gold medals in important wine competitions. "I even beat my own Reserve Pinot Noir in one judging," laughed Redford. I found the wine to be plump and juicy with layers of interesting red and black fruit and hints of spice. Try it with roasted duck, turkey or salmon.
