Vinos Ambiz (Producers of natural, organic, healthful, sustainable wine (Madrid, Spain)

Thanks, Adam, I'm glad you like it :) Any que...

2012-04-11T18:39:59.326+02:00

Thanks, Adam, I'm glad you like it :) Any questions, feel free to ask.

Arnold, Ryan, Hank, Laura, Thanks very much for yo...

2012-04-11T01:13:23.239+02:00

Arnold, Ryan, Hank, Laura,
Thanks very much for your comments (and sorry for taking so long to publish them, I only just now noticed that there were comments awaiting moderation!!!) You've all given me lots to think about.

Ciao Fabio, I was pointed this way by our amico i...

2012-04-05T15:58:49.093+02:00

Ciao Fabio,

I was pointed this way by our amico in comune, Arnold Waldstein. Great blog and great post, complimenti.

We make between 6.000 and 12.000 bottles annually. We are not organically certified since we have too many neighbours on one of our vineyards. I am considering carbon-free certification but I am concerned that these symbols only give a part of the picture and are not recognised world-wide.

My solution has been QR codes, social media/blogging about our processes and having an open doors policy on the estate. When people have seen the butterflies - or my childrens' swings next to the vineyards - they can easily extrapolate our philosophy.

I understand where you're coming from about the What I Don't Include/Do but I think that it might end up being confusing for some consumers.

A presto

Laura

Fabio- if you want to list ingredients, then just...

2012-04-05T14:58:58.408+02:00

Fabio-

if you want to list ingredients, then just list ingredients used. Don't list "non-ingredients".

Let the wine speak for itself. Let the customer find your website, and discover your philosophy there.

Added acidity is another thing and what I knew you...

2012-04-05T13:25:57.544+02:00

Added acidity is another thing and what I knew you were talking about...but I am a wine geek. A wine consumer will wonder about that.

If your going down this road, you better be explicit. And I would for fun at least list a few other things that you don't include. #elephants

:)

Ryan, thanks for that. Yes, clarity! I always take...

2012-04-05T12:54:29.661+02:00

Ryan, thanks for that. Yes, clarity! I always take too many things for granted! Of course my wine contains acids, sulphites, water, grape juices, etc; what I'm trying to say is that it doesn't contain any 'added' acids, sulphites, etc. And it's clarified by gravity and time and the cold of winter, as opposed to with some substance or clarifying agent.
Thanks again, and I will definitely be thinking a lot about this before printing anything.
I already do QR codes :)

Sorry, can't agree with this. In it's pres...

2012-04-05T12:07:21.260+02:00

Sorry, can't agree with this. In it's present form.

Your wine does contain acids. Not additional acids, but it does contain acids.

It does contain sulphites. No matter how little, sulphites are naturally there.

Fruit juice, yes you have that too. Grape is a fruit, it's juice makes wine.

Unless you plan to test, you might have traces of pesticides etal...there are drift issues with farms that are close to each other.

You do clarify the wine. Maybe not fully, but you do clarify, by letting it sit in the barrel, and rest. I've seen your wine, it's definitely clarified to some extent.

I personally think you need to think about this, before you commit to saying you do or don't do something. Clarity is very important, and the above items would make me think that you hadn't fully considered all the issues.

Why not just put a qrcode on your back label that goes to one page. A page that lists your philosophy? Do that and you can keep it up to date, and relevant to the latest vintages and other info!

My friend Fabio... Since when does a 'movemen...

2012-04-05T11:40:15.029+02:00

My friend Fabio...

Since when does a 'movement' have to have rules and leadership?

Change happens from the ground up without. Music, art, fashion, food.

Do you define yourself by what you don't do?

Good luck with that.

Marketing doesn't just happen on the label. My favorite natural vineyards do a complete disclosure of what they do for every wine on their site.

For those who care, a URL will suffice.

Would I call out Organic, Bio-D and 'No Sulfites'? This consumer would care. And many others do as well.

Labels disclose but don't define nor brand in my opinion.

Nice blog and thanks for sharing these photos ! <...

2012-04-02T09:09:14.872+02:00

Nice blog and thanks for sharing these photos !

british wine producers

Fabio, if you want photos, don't ask, just tak...

2012-02-14T10:37:07.192+01:00

Fabio, if you want photos, don't ask, just take them! :) Hugs.

http://todalavidaescuento.blogspot.com/2012/01/el-vino-yo-y-mis-circunstancias.html

NATURAL WINEEE... NATURAL WINEEEE..... NATURAL WIN...

2012-02-08T22:24:16.925+01:00

NATURAL WINEEE...
NATURAL WINEEEE.....
NATURAL WINEEREEEE.......

Please, anybody could rescue me?

@Hank, We're working on that :) @Nick, First ...

2012-02-08T21:57:47.125+01:00

@Hank, We're working on that :)

@Nick, First we we have to infiltrate and subvert all these environmental ecologist groups :)

You forgot to mention that we will search out and ...

2012-02-08T16:52:04.442+01:00

You forgot to mention that we will search out and destroy all oak forests so their trees cannot be made into new barrels. That was added to the agenda at the last Council of Bearded Elders in Bratislava.

Too funny. Can I get the micro-biological swamp ...

2012-02-08T16:00:26.182+01:00

Too funny.

Can I get the micro-biological swamp substance in a homeopathic spray as well?

Fabio, great work at vines. And great day last Sun...

2012-01-19T11:43:19.177+01:00

Fabio, great work at vines. And great day last Sunday with Alice. If you want you could use the photos I´ve uploaded to Facebook about the event

@Robert, Real Ale. OK, point taken. That was a mi...

2011-11-10T15:59:46.551+01:00

@Robert,

Real Ale. OK, point taken. That was a mistake on my part, because I didn't actually do any research on the beer world to see if what I assumed was actually true. I just went and wrote it! I can see I was totally wrong on that issue, judging by the comments I've received. It's a bit unfortunate really, as it wasn't really the main point I was trying to get across, which was the "supposed fault" issue. Lesson learned there: "Never will I ever write anything again without doing a bit of research first to back up my ideas/suppositions with facts!"

Industrial Products / Artisan Products. I think maybe both worlds really do exist in parallel for the most part, but they must intersect a little bit somehow. Otherwise there would be no debate! You make a good point about people's point of view and their opinions. I'll add that book to my wish-list of wine books that I'm hoping Santa will bring me. It already includes Jamie Goode's Authentic Wine and Alice Feirings's Naked Wine. maybe we should all just shut up and get on with it! :)

@vinosseur, Thanks for your comment. Yes, less wri...

2011-11-10T15:41:53.237+01:00

@vinosseur,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, less writing, more enjoyment :)

FInally got around to reading this (long) article....

2011-11-07T15:28:08.549+01:00

FInally got around to reading this (long) article. You raise some interesting points, but I would say that there is a reasonable flaw at the heart of your thinking, and it comes right at the beginning of the article.

My (limited) experience of Real Ale drinkers is that they are EXACTLY like everyone else and are just as likely to be scathing of "mass produced" beer, particular the big brands (just ask a Real Ale drinker about Budweiser and see the reaction).

Wine is not special in this discussion, and hence it is not just about the product of the grape and the businesses involved in it, it IS a debate being seen across all of society. There is a schism between the worlds of global industrial standardisation and quality management, and that of artisan, individual and expressive products. The argument is because we see the world differently, they almost exist in separate universes in fact if you look at the consumers, and therefore COULD exist in parallel ... except people always love to comment, criticise and make their points.

The argument has been good for profile, and maybe it helps to clarify our thinking as long as we see it for what it is which is an issue of points of view about something so basic we completely miss it:

What is "Good" wine?

I have not read the recent book on Wine & Philosophy (I think Jamie Goode edited it or at least was involved), but I am guessing it could be relevant. We all act (taste & critique) like there is some sort of Universal Truth in wine and can judge a wine to be good (whether mass produced or cloudy and oxidative), but in fact there isn't and can't be. We just have different yardsticks for making our judgements, and therefore we will not agree.

Long may that continue!

Well, a lot of working :-).

2011-11-06T23:53:58.808+01:00

Well, a lot of working :-).

well-written Fabio! You have covered many issues...

2011-11-04T15:06:22.493+01:00

well-written Fabio!

You have covered many issues I have often thought about pertaining to natural wines! I think the labeling issues and the wine fault issues are the most debatable and most threatening to either side
In the end, i like your attitude - make honest wine from what you have in the way you have to for that particular vintage, of course at a minimum of intervention. Let's not forget to enjoy wine and all the differences it has from producer to producer

cheers,

Thor, What you say is very encouraging. I'd ne...

2011-10-30T00:22:22.783+02:00

Thor,
What you say is very encouraging. I'd never seen it from that perspective before, ie that the very fact that a debate is actually happening is a good sign!

Bently, Qué bonito. Tendré que leer sobre eso un d...

2011-10-29T23:50:49.167+02:00

Bently,
Qué bonito. Tendré que leer sobre eso un día. En mi post, me he olvidado por completo mencionar la parte espiritual, holística, la armonía con la naturaleza y la vida; unfallo tremendo, pero estaba enfocado en la parte técnica, física y mondana del asunto. Las dos cosas son necesarias, no?

Thomas again, If there's one thing I'm dog...

2011-10-29T23:26:17.626+02:00

Thomas again,
If there's one thing I'm dogmatic and ideologistic about, it's my dislike of dogma and ideology!!!!
Interesting questions. I'll get back to on those.

Lorenzo, Cloudiness: Hmmmm, yes, I said "...a...

2011-10-29T23:10:14.579+02:00

Lorenzo,
Cloudiness: Hmmmm, yes, I said "...a deliberate feature." Maybe that's a bit too much! (I should have revised my text more, but I'm not a profesional writer!). To clarify: I don't think any natural winemake actually tries to make a cloudy wine on purpose (I don't), but if after settling over time and racking a few times, the wine is still cloudy, then so be it. I certainly don't consider it a fault.
And thanks for calling me brave, but I don't think so. It's just that I've decided what to do and said it publically. No big deal. things are a lot clearer in my mind now, and it will be easire to plan for the future and to take decisions :)

Amy, Thanks for your comment. Faults: like I said...

2011-10-29T22:52:23.716+02:00

Amy,
Thanks for your comment.
Faults: like I said in my post, I haven't tasted enough different natural wines myself to have an objective view; but if you, who work in the business, say they are few and far between, my intuitive common-sense guess must have been right!