Organic Wine Exchange

Follow the Sun

Organic Wine Exchange — Wed, 19 May 2021 17:59:19 +0000

“When I started looking into organic wine, it was just perfect for me,” Arnold says. “It fell right in line with everything I believed in, and here was this niche that was completely un-nurtured and underdeveloped.”

– Palm Springs Life Magazine

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Organic Wine Retail Pioneer

Organic Wine Exchange — Wed, 19 May 2021 17:49:45 +0000

Since establishing Organicwineexchange.com in 2013, proprietor Ann Arnold has curated a one-stop online shop for certified organic, biodynamic, sustainable, non-GMO, no-sulfites-added, gluten-free and vegan wines.

– Market Watch Magazine

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What Does Mother’s Day Mean to You?

Organic Wine Exchange — Wed, 09 May 2018 18:13:31 +0000

For me, Mother’s Day usually means sleeping in and taking a day off from making breakfast and washing dishes. I also get lots of hugs and get to ignore my calendar of events for one whole day!

But on the Monday after Mother’s Day, the alarm clock rings and I’m right back in the kitchen, laundry room, homework table, or being a personal chauffeur again. The joy of celebrating motherhood is not receiving flowers and chocolate, it’s the little things that I get to appreciate each day (but often take for granted).

From the time my daughter could hold a crayon, she would draw pictures for me. Those were later accompanied by words like, “I LOVE You Mommy” or a personal serenade with her ukulele when I am least expecting it. She doesn’t do these things because it’s a special day for mommies on the calendar, but because I am her mommy every day.

I’ve discovered that being a mother is not just a celebration of taking care of another being (and then celebrating it for a day), but a journey that allows me to experience the world in a new way everyday.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the human and animal mommies out there. May your day be filled with an extra dose of love, appreciation… and hopefully a little wine!

I think this year I will finally start writing love notes to my daughter… she will be a preteen soon and I expect my notes to her will eventually take the place of hers to me.

Treat yourself or a motherly figure in your own life…

Use the code LOVENOTE20 for $20 off your next order!

Shop Now Minimum $100 • Expires 5/20/18

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80 Years in the Retail Wine Business

Organic Wine Exchange — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 18:54:49 +0000

I’m honored to announce that this month commemorates our family’s 80th year in the retail wine business.

In February 1938, Morry Rabin took the leap of faith and opened up a neighborhood liquor store in Long Beach, CA, catering to the local wine drinkers during an otherwise non-wine drinking era.

To put this into prospective, Napa wasn’t even on the map as a fine wine destination and prohibition ended just 5 years prior. Thus, most of the wines available at the time were coming from oversees.

Every day I am reminded of my family history. While it has become my own passion to support organic vineyards, I feel my grandfather Morry would stand beside me if he was still around to see the industry today.

Sometimes I wonder what he would think if he saw his youngest granddaughter carving her own path in wine industry, or what his thoughts would be if he ever experienced the concept of online sales, or if he would be surprised to find out what the wine industry has evolved into.

These thoughts are endless, but one that strikes me the most is that we both decided to choose avenues that were not mainstream when we first started our wine journey. Wine was not the drink of choice in 1938 but he was part of that change. For me, wines made from “organic grapes” were not the chosen wines, but now I can proudly say that I am part of that change as well

I’d like to share this moment with all the other entrepreneurs in the world that are brave enough share something off the beaten path and to the people who have helped carve the path before us!

And to help celebrate with us…

Only pay 80% of your bill!
It’s your celebration too, so for the rest of the month get 20% off any order over $100.
Use code HAPPY80TH (expires 3/1)

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Meet the Winemakers

Organic Wine Exchange — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 23:09:29 +0000

Meet the Organic and Biodynamic Winemakers

March 24th-26th

Palm Desert Food and Wine Festival

Daniel Fetzer – Jeriko

The story of Jeriko started with Kathleen and Barney Fetzer when they bought a vineyard in 1957, in Redwood Valley, CA. Daniel Fetzer is the youngest of eleven children, and chose to follow in his parents grape growing and winemaking footsteps, by creating his own brand called Jeriko Estate. Today Jeriko is home to a number of selective clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The vineyard is surrounded by olive trees, as well as other plants and animals that line the estate and play key roles in the Biodynamic and organic farming practices.

Two Bunch Palms Wine Dinner, Thursday March 30th at 6:30pm

Mark Lyon – Eco Terreno

For the past 36 years, Mark has been focused on expanding his knowledge of winegrowing. It all started at the early age of 16 when Mark began to develop a deep seeded passion for fine wines while on his frequent family trips across Europe. Mark was drawn to the unlimited potential of creating great wines in Sonoma County and accepted a job at Sebastiani Vineyards in Sonoma, California. Along with his new position, he found property within Sonoma County to cultivate his own grapes. He and his father bought a 122 acre vineyard in Alexander Valley in 1980 and he began making his own wine soon after that.

Wine Women Wine Dinner at Rancho Las Palmas, Sunday March 26th at 6pm

Jim Milone – Terra Savia

Jim followed in the footsteps of his great grandfather, who emigrated from Italy as a young man. Jim grew up working in the family vineyards developing a love for the land that has only increased over time, founding the first winery in Hopland after prohibition. His mantra: “Put more effort in the vineyard and minimize treatment in the cellar; winemaking starts when you lay down the first compost in the Fall and prune in Winter. Every step of wine production, from pruning to bottling is considered to minimize our impact on the environment and our products.”

Wally’s Wine Tasting, Friday March 24th at 6pm

Mark Burch – Chacewater

A harvest job with Gallo changed the direction of Mark’s career and life abruptly, as it was then that he decided to changed his major to Viticulture. In 1989 a former colleague wooed him away from the Central Valley to Sebastiani in Sonoma and 10 months later they made him their Cellar Master. On a quest to learn as much as possible about making wines, he went to Kendall-Jackson where he worked as their Assistant Winemaker, then off to Wildhurst Vineyards working his way from the cellar to winemaker. Chacewater wines are exceptional because of Mark’s creativity, vision, and experience.

If you are restaurant interested in booking a public wine dinner or an individual interested in scheduling a private wine dinner with one of our winemakers during the weekend of the Palm Dessert Food and Wine Festival (March 24th-26th), please contact Annie Arnold: wine@organicwineexchange.com or 760-565-WINE (9463)

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The Meaning Behind the Symbol

Organic Wine Exchange — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 06:50:08 +0000

Organic Wine Exchange Color Coded Symbols

= No Sulfites Added = 10-100ppm sulfites = 100+ sulfites

Have you ever wondered why it is so hard to find an organic wine that is right for you. Maybe you have a real sulfite allergy, or maybe you cannot find those magical key word designated by the USDA, “Made with Organic Grapes”, because the the font is too small. Well, we’ve got you covered! Now each category below has it’s own color coded USDA symbol.

Note : The definitions of each category below is recognized by the USDA, however the choice to color code the USDA symbols based on these organic designations are not. OrganicWineExchange.com is using the color coding tool to help easily classify wines into their proper designations.

“Organic Wine”:

Grapes have been grown in accordance with the organic standards established by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP).
Wine has been produced and bottled in a certified organic facility.
Wine contains No Added Sulfites (NSA).
As of now these are the the only wines that may display the USDA ORGANIC logo seen on this page.

“Made with Organic Grapes”:

Grapes have been grown in accordance with the organic standards established by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP).
Wine contains all organic grapes.
Wine has been produced and bottled in a certified organic facility.
May contain added sulfites up to 100ppm.
They are called “Organic Wine” in all countries outside the United States.
These wines DO NOT display the USDA ORGANIC logo, however they MAY display the Certifier’s Logo of the state or country in which is was produced (examples below).

Organic Ingredients Statement Only:

Wine contains certified organic grapes.
May put “Ingredients: Organic Grapes” on the back label.
These wines have more than 100ppm Sulfites.
These wines DO NOT display the USDA ORGANIC logo, nor the certifier’s logo.

“Made with Biodynamic Grapes”

1. Created by Rudulf Steiner in 1924
2. Biodynamic Farming treats the farm as one living organism.
3. It follows nine biodynamic preparations in wine production.
4. Incorporates early agricultural practices such as: basing the planting calendar on the movement of the stars and the moon and uses traditional pest control measures free from pesticides.
5. Demeter is the certifying agency.
6. Stellar Organic certification is automatically given to wines certified Biodynamic by Demeter due to their strict farming methods.
7. Biodynamic wines can also choose to get certified by the USDA and have the “Made with Organic Grapes” term added their label, or if processed with No Added Sulfites they can get the USDA Organic symbol.

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The Organic Wine Life

Organic Wine Exchange — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 07:08:30 +0000

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We are waiting for your recipe!

Organic Wine Exchange — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 06:38:42 +0000

Tarantas

Official Rules apply

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Win a Trip for 2 to Spain

Organic Wine Exchange — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 06:09:48 +0000

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Get ready to pack your bags

Bodegas Iranzo produces some of Spain’s Oldest Estate Bottled Wines. The first recorded written evidence of the vineyard Cañada Honda Estate owned by the Iranzo Perez–Duque family dates back to 1335 as granted by King Pedro I of Castilla. The present house of the Iranzo Pérez-Duque family in Requena was built in 1794, and is classified as a Cultural Heritage site by the Valencia Regional Government.

Since 1994 Bodegas Iranzo has exclusively produced wine from organically grown grapes making the winery one of the oldest-established vineyards in Spain to apply this European Organic regulation. Bodegas Iranzo is one of the first bodegas in Spain to be certified EU organic and the FIRST bodega in Spain to receive USDA National Organic Program certification.

The Vineyard

The present vineyard was designed and laid out in 1983 with a view to achieving two distinct but complementary objectives: the production of wines of the finest quality; and total respect for the environment. The volume of wine produced takes second place to both these objectives.

The Winery & Cellars

The buildings housing the winery and cellars were built between 1916 and 1929. They have been declared Cultural Heritage sites by the Valencian Government. Sensitive restoration and redevelopment of the buildings began in 1997, incorporating the latest winemaking technology without altering the original architectural lines.

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Non-GMO Project Verified Wine

Organic Wine Exchange — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 06:17:22 +0000

The Story Behind the Butterfly

Because an estimated 80% of all packaged goods now contain genetically engineered ingredients, consumer demand for products that do not contain GMOs has increased dramatically in the United States. That demand is beginning to flow over into wine and other alcoholic beverages.

While purchasing certified organic products is a substantial step in working toward a non-GMO diet, some organic manufacturers and importers are going the extra step to obtain the Non-GMO Project Verification seal to give you additional peace of mind.

Organic wine importer Natural Merchants is delighted to be able to support a healthy food system by providing Non-GMO Project Verified wines. These wines are available through Organic Wine Exchange and indicated by the Non-GMO Project Butterfly Seal. Brands include:

Spain-VERTVS and Tarantas
Italy-Pizzolato and Pizzolato Fields
France-Les Hauts de Lagarde and Le Petit du Chateaux de Lagarde
Greece-Sofos
Austria-Biokult

Why choose Non-GMO Project Verified wines?

Some domestic, conventional wines can include GMO yeast and other processing ingredients. The rigorous Non-GMO-Project Verification process requires authentication of every ingredient used throughout the entire winemaking process.

From harvest to fermentation and final clarification, all ingredients used in the production of Non-GMO Project Verified wines have undergone a rigorous review to make certain that they are not at risk for GMOs.

Non-GMO Project Verified status indicates that the brands adhere to consensus-based best practices for avoidance of GMOs, which are organisms whose natural genetic material has been altered through genetically engineering techniques.

Non-GMO Project Verified wines proudly display the Non-GMO Project Verified badge on shelf tags and online so that consumers can easily identify the products. At this time, the wine labels themselves cannot display the Non-GMO Project Verification seal.

Natural Merchants works with family-owned wineries throughout Europe to produce quality USDA Certified Organic, No-Sulfites-Added wines, as well as wines made with organically grown grapes. The wineries adhere to strict organic standards as well as Non-GMO practices that ensure a clean glass of wine: Only indigenous, non-GMO yeast is used in the wines.
The effervescence in the wines occurs naturally or is derived from natural, non-GMO sources.
No animal byproducts are used in the production of the wines so they are vegan friendly. Only bentonite clay, a naturally occurring mineral, is used as a fining agent.

Look for the Non-GMO Project Verification logo on the Organic Wine Exchange wines and visit www.nongmowines.com for more information.

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