Tawse Winery launches biodynamic wines

Vineland, Ont. – Tawse Winery is unveiling its new certified biodynamic wines.

The winery, which was named Canadian Winery of the Year for 2010 at Wine Access Magazine’s Canadian Wine Awards, will officially release its first certified biodynamic wines – the 2010 Quarry Road Riesling and the 2010 Quarry Road Gewurztraminer – in May 2011.

Tawse has always employed a non-interventionist approach to wine production, using no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, and following the winemaking regulations of the Ecocert Canada organic certification program. But in 2006 the winery decided to take that commitment a step further with biodynamic production.

Biodynamic farming is a holistic approach that involves seeing the vineyard as its own self-sustaining ecological entity. Producers work with the ecosystem without changing the natural processes that exist.

It took the Vineland, Ont.-based winery four years to achieve official certification to International Demeter Standards of biodynamic farming. This involved applying rigorous biodynamic methods to every aspect of the winemaking process, from soil preparation and pest and weed control, to harvesting, barrelling and bottling.

According to the winery it now has healthier vines and more fertile soil, while its wines have a stronger, more vibrant flavour.