Eco-wines that taste so good your guests will never know they’re saving the planet By David Lawrason

(Illustration: Brian Rea)

I’m all for protecting the environment, but when it comes to wine, what I care about most is taste. Fortunately, there’s good news on the eco-friendly front. Like organics, biodynamic wines are free of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers, but the eco-balanced regimen is even more stringent. One of biodynamic vintners’ main aims is to strengthen the soil and, therefore, the vines. They bury cows’ horns filled with compost material in the soil and take cues from lunar cycles for planting and pruning. The techniques might sound paganistic, but such meticulous attention often results in better tasting wine. I’ve also found that biodynamic wines offer unparalleled expressions of terroir. The best I’ve tasted was a famous Loire Valley chenin blanc made by French biodynamic proponent Nicolas Joly. The Coulée de Serrant is a sinewy, incredibly intense wine that radiates flint and oyster shell—there’s no question that it comes from chalk soil vineyards in a maritime climate on the banks of the broad Loire.

The quality of green wines, whether biodynamic, organic or sustainable, is decidedly on the rise. Thanks to consumer interest, winemakers are investing in labour-intensive growing practices, and it’s paying off as the wines continue to improve. Organic wine sales at the LCBO’s Vintages stores increased 13.5 per cent last year, despite the recession and the generally high price of organics. In fact, Ontario is becoming something of an eco-wine hot spot. At the BioVino expo this spring, Toronto played host to a who’s who of international organic and bio­dynamic winemakers. And the selection of conscientious bottles in this town has never been better. Here are my green picks.

Meal of approval: this logo will appear on foods that meet Canada’s new organic standards (Image by Canadian Food Inspection Agency)

• Canada’s new organic foods standards went into effect this week. Produce that gets stamped with the new “Canada Organic” logo will have to be 100 per cent organic, while products with multiple ingredients will have to reach the 95 per cent mark. Products imported from the U.S will be stamped with the same logo as long as they fit similar standards enforced by the USDA. [CBC]

• Jamie Kennedy isn’t the only celebrity chef facing financial woes lately. Gordon Ramsay’s company, Gordon Ramsay Holdings, almost went bankrupt last year thanks to overly optimistic expansion. “We thought…that we could not fail,” Ramsay recently admitted in a rare moment of humility. [Telegraph]

• Residents have taken up the fight against a new bistro on the Harbord restaurant strip, concerned about the number of licensed venues so close to a nearby high school. Ici Bistro’s would-be proprietor Jennifer DeCourte points out that “the chances of [students] coming over for a chardonnay and an endive salad are probably zero.” Councillor Joe Pantalone, fresh from killing Ossington’s buzz, also opposes the license. [Toronto Star]

• President’s Choice beef has been recalled due to possible E.coli contamination. No illnesses have been reported in Canada—yet—but up to 18 people in the U.S. have fallen ill after eating contaminated meat. [680 News]

• New hybrids of raspberries and strawberries produced in B.C. will be named for First Nations peoples in the province. Chilliwack, Skeena and Chilcotin raspberries are valued for their productivity and resilience. [Canadian Press]

Bond gets creamed: This snack may be the public's only chance to lick Daniel Craig (Photo by PA)

• Del Monte has created a Daniel Craig Licence to Chill lollipop after polling British women about which celebrity they’d most like to see “on the end of a stick.” The Craig lollies will be available during National Ice Cream Week, June 2 to 7. [Telegraph]

• In 1999, rising culinary star Pascal Ribreau’s career was sidelined when he was paralyzed from the chest down in a car crash. Bay Street lawyer Michael Shannon took his case, and now, 10 years later, he and Ribreau are business partners at the Mount Pleasant restaurant Célestin. Ribreau does the cooking from a vertical wheelchair, and Shannon does the investing—and eating. [Globe and Mail]

• Canada’s new organic food regulations will come into effect next month, and the government has whipped up a new logo to identify the affected products. Twenty-two-year-old OCAD grad Allison Carter decided the government’s go at branding was generic and lame, so she developed her own rendition—and, we must admit, it makes us more excited about organics than the feds ever could. [National Post]

• From Slate’s food issue, a paean to lard. It may have a bad rep, but food writer and blogger Regina Schrambling insists that lard is the tastiest, most environmentally friendly and, yes, even the healthiest of all fats. We couldn’t agree more. [Slate]

• In celebration of ketchup’s 100th birthday, Shelley Fralic makes an impassioned defence of the red stuff. Banned in her childhood home, the kitchen table staple is not just versatile, but a Canadian culinary icon. [Vancouver Sun]

Debunking the myths about sugar in food (Photo by Kima)

• A New York Times blog attempts to debunk food myths related to sugar, which is increasingly being viewed as a health food, compared with such high-fructose sweeteners as corn syrup. Six experts and researchers evaluate the white stuff’s new-found popularity. [New York Times]

• The Toronto Wine and Cheese Show wasn’t true to its name this year, argues one food blogger. It took place in the suburbs, served too little food, and favoured mass-produced imposters over genuine Canadian cheese. [BlogTO]

• Despite PR initiatives and a new business strategy, the future of Maple Leaf Foods remains grim. One study shows that nearly 50 per cent of Canadian consumers haven’t eaten Maple Leaf meat since last summer’s listeriosis scare. [Canada.com]

• The benefits of an occasional glass of red wine may apply to only half of us. A British study has found that drinking even low or moderate amounts of alcohol increases a woman’s risk of cancer. [Turnto10]

The Globe and Mail discovers that Canadians’ enthusiasm toward organic food isn’t subsiding due to the recession; people are simply finding a way to factor it into reduced budgets. [Globe and Mail]

What does "organic" mean, in Canada? (Photo by Gabo Morales)

• The label “certified organic” should spark more questions than confidence, says former food inspector Mischa Popoff, who argues that Canada’s organic food regulations are far too lenient to ensure quality products. [National Post]

• Foodshare believes in eating locally, which doesn’t just mean buying veggies from the Holland Marsh. The Toronto-based NGO is advocating transforming our barren urban spaces—Nathan Phillips Square, University Avenue, the edges of the Gardiner—into vegetable gardens. [Toronto Star]

• Canada’s new inspection protocol allowing slaughterhouses to inspect themselves is so dubious it’s making news across the pond. [Farming UK]

• Riverdale restaurant owner Chandaramony Eang’s decision to return to his native Cambodia to pursue his charity work means Toronto will lose Angkor—the city’s first Cambodian eatery. [Torontoist]

• Toronto isn’t the only city trying to get its organic waste management under control. In two years, Côte St. Luc went from having the lowest recycling rates on the island of Montreal to diverting 60 per cent of its waste from landfills. [Montreal Gazette]

Let’s start with what not to do. Don’t try poisoning raccoons, because it’s illegal. Live trapping is counter-productive and often cruel: you’re likely to catch a sheltering mother and leave starving babies behind. And speaking of the offspring, it’s bad to adopt. Those sweet little baby raccoons become foul, feral, uncontrollable creatures when they reach sexual maturity (much like humans, really). The sad truth is that the little blighters usually ignore such home-brew deterrents as mothballs, bright lights and cayenne pepper. The only real way to keep them out of your business is to remove whatever attracted them in the first place. Green bins—full of pungent organics—are especially appealing; their latches were meant to be animal-resistant, but aren’t. The city is currently testing a new latch that fits over existing bins. In the meantime, keeping your bin in a secure shed is your best bet. Failing that, you can still take heart: raccoons need to either knock a bin over or climb on top of it to pry it open. The Urban Decoder knows of one homeowner who, after trying to keep the lid on with cinder blocks and bungee cords, finally suspended the garbage can from his carport roof. He hasn’t had a raccoon B and E since.