An Interview With Organic Wine Company Founder Véronique Raskin

Véronique Raskin has organic wine in her blood. Her family has been growing grapes in France for more than 200 years. She also comes from a long line of healers—her grandfather was a doctor, as are her brother and six other members of her family. Véronique herself is trained in a physical therapy technique called Rolfing. So it makes perfect sense that she would combine her loves of wine and holistic healing by importing organic wine into the United States through her company, the Organic Wine Company.

Based in San Francisco, the Organic Wine Company has been importing organic wine to the United States from the family estate in France, Château Bousquette, and other certified organic farms throughout Europe for 25 years, continuing an organic tradition started by her grandfather in the 1970s. Véronique also pioneered organic winemaking in the United States, helping set standards for organic grape production in California and spearheading the formation of an organization for growers, the Organic Grapes into Wine Alliance. She recently talked with VegCooking.com about why she’s so passionate about organic wine and why everyone should be drinking it.

To listen to the interview, click here.

Q. How did you come to start the Organic Wine Company?

A. It was completely a fluke sort of thing, so to speak. I came here to study and gather materials for my Ph.D. thesis in clinical psychology. And I fell in love, got married, and had a very successful practice. And I’m strongly attached to my roots and to my family and to my land in the place where we used to go as children. And my grandfather, who was always an eccentric, wonderful, pioneering kind of guy, at the age of 72, no less, decided to take over the old family property that had been in the family for 200 years and turn it over to organic farming.

That was completely revolutionary at the time, but he was convinced by looking at the grapes of a cousin that he must be doing the right thing by the grapes and by the land. He found out it was organic viticulture and, being him, he said, “All right, this is it, this is what we are going to do to the land, because I can’t stand anymore to see the land getting poorer and poorer by the year.” The yields were getting worse and worse as a result of using the same old conventional method, and so he converted everything to organic.

And, you know, organic is definitely about animal rights. I remember him walking in the vineyard and smelling the air and saying, “Look, now the butterflies and the birds are coming back.” That was one of the first things that started happening when we went organic, because animal life could thrive again, which it doesn’t do in conventional vineyards.

Q. How does the process of producing organic wine differ from producing conventional wine?

A. Organic wine is made with grapes that are grown without utilizing pesticides or herbicides. The standards for growing organic fruits are pretty universal—there isn’t a great deal of argument about that. The next thing is that, in the cellar, the only little additive that is used by organic standards is a little bit of sulfur dioxide, which is also known as “sulfite.”

By contrast, conventional wine is made from grapes that are monumentally sprayed. I mean, people just don’t realize how monumentally sprayed those poor grapes are. That’s why I was so excited talking to Alex Bury, your PETA chef, because she told me that I’m preaching to the choir. It’s so nice for those of us who are a little bit out there, pioneering something or going up against the conventional wisdom, to get together and nurture each other. And it was music to my ears to hear her say, “I got converted to organic wine when I saw in my own neighborhood what was happening in the vineyards. The people who spray walk around like astronauts when they spray because the stuff is so toxic, and they don’t want it on their skin. So, they don’t want it on their skin because it’s so poisonous, but they put it on the grapes?” Not only that, as she walked around with her dog, she said, “I saw deer and other animals killed.” And she said that’s one of the reasons why she started drinking organic wine.

At first, she was totally turned off to any wine, but then she began to drink organic wines because they reflect all of her values. But then she started to drink them because they taste better.

Q. Is there a difference between conventional wine and organic wine in terms of flavor and texture?

A. Yes, and let me say that I didn’t completely finish my sentence. I just talked about the difference in the growing of the grapes, but then let’s go into the cellar. If you only saw all the different ingredients and chemicals that are permitted for use in conventional wine, your hair would stand on end, because it’s a chemical-fest. They add stuff to make it look one way and smell one way, etc. People wonder why they get a headache or don’t feel good, and that’s because they just absorbed something that has been incredibly manipulated by chemistry.

Q. So, you’re saying that if someone drinks a bottle of organic wine or a glass of organic wine, they may not experience some of the headaches or sleepiness associated with conventional wine?

A. First of all, I would question whether somebody has a problem with sulfite. And let me explain to you that conventional wine contains so many different chemicals that any number of those could cause an unpleasant response. So, because the word “sulfite” is on the back label, people reasonably assume that if they don’t feel good, it’s because of the sulfites. The word sulfite is not a sexy word, so people think that way, but I think there are many other reasons why people would feel bad when drinking wine. And sulfite is the least of my concerns, personally.

Q. So, we have established that a lot of chemicals go into making conventional wine. Does that come through in the flavor of conventional wine, and does organic wine have a different texture that would be noticed, not necessarily by a wine connoisseur, but by an everyday wine drinker?

A. Actually, the everyday wine drinkers, and not sophisticated wine drinkers such as myself, would probably notice the difference even more because they would be less biased. Let me give you an analogy—why do you think chefs around the country favor organic produce like organic tomatoes, strawberries, and all those things?

Q. I would think they favor organic produce because it tastes better.

A. Exactly. I would think that most people say, “If I taste an organic tomato, I know I’m tasting a tomato and not some piece of plastic,” and the same is true with strawberries, and that’s why people have been eating organic more and more. Now, if you take that another step, grapes are fruit, too, so if they are grown like organic tomatoes or organic strawberries, don’t you think it stands to reason that they are going to come out tasting better, as well as tasting more authentic, and have more juice, have more flavor, have more vitality?

Q. What qualities do organic wines have that conventional wines do not?

A. These wines are “mouth-friendly.” As you take them in your mouth, you smell the scent. Is “smell” the right word? “Smell” doesn’t sound very good. What do you call the word?

Q. The aroma.

A. Yes, you inhale the aroma. You will notice this is, um, again, how would you describe the goodness, the aliveness of an organic strawberry versus a conventional strawberry?

Q. I know what you are sayingthere’s a huge difference, and it’s not just a taste difference. There’s an overall vitality that can be tasted in every bite of organic fruit.

A. You are exactly right, there is a je ne sais quoi that is appealing, that makes you feel better, that makes your body relax. It’s a little bit like touching an animal and getting into this wonderful connection.

Q. What are some of the reactions you have seen when customers try their first glass of organic wine?

A. Yesterday, I was asking somebody who had just tasted it, and [he] said, “Oh, I just love that wine you gave me. It was a Château Véronique. My wife, she just couldn’t believe how good it was, and it didn’t give her a headache, and she didn’t know how good an organic wine could be.” I think people are surprised because there’s a feeling of authenticity, of honesty, of cleanliness, and of personality. There’s something very real about this wine.

Q. Is there a full spectrum of organic wines, such as Chardonnay, red, etc.?

A. Absolutely. We now have 40 to 60 different wines, and they contain different varietals. We offer blends, we offer straight varietals, and, like you said, we offer Chardonnay, Cabernet, Shiraz—a little bit for all palettes.

Q. Do you find that a specific type of grape makes the best organic wine?

A. No, I think that any grape, if well-treated, is going to be a very good base.

Q. Where can our readers find organic wine?

A. They can call us, and we can help them, and they can order directly from us.

Q. What is your phone number?

A. It’s 1-888-ECOWINE, as in “eco-friendly.” And we can direct them, depending upon the state they’re calling from; we can direct them to a distributor or a retailer or ship it to them directly.

Q. Would people expect to pay a premium for organic wine, as they would for an organic tomato?

A. Absolutely, for some amazing reason I haven’t figured out yet. See, organic wine is just on the edge, like veganism—actually, it’s on the leading edge, quite frankly. To our amazement, because more people are now eating organic since we started the company 25 years ago, there has been an enormous growth in the organic movement, but people haven’t yet transferred that to drinking organic. And, frankly, that is extremely important. We are hoping this will change, thanks to people like you good people and the opportunity to put the word out. Because we know that this is key—that as many acres of vineyard must be transformed to sustainable as possible.

It is imperative that people know what happens to grapes in vineyards and, therefore, what happens to the animal life that is living around the vineyards and that is dependent upon the rivers around them. That way, they can support organic viticulture, meaning organic growing of grapes, but that hasn’t happened quite yet. People are still eating organic but not drinking organic enough. [W]e are actually very competitive with conventional wine. There is absolutely no reason why people wouldn’t favor us, but every reason why people would favor us. We taste fantastic, we are well-packaged, we are competitively priced, and, in buying organic wine, you know you are supporting the correct way of life.

Q. Do you have a favorite wine among the wines that you sell?

A. Not really, I shift—I go through phases. I usually have wine with my meals. All the wines are very food-friendly—in fact, they’re made to be appreciated with food, with meals, and hanging around with family. So, I switch—I go a week with my Cabernet, then I go to my Shiraz, [then] I go to Chardonnay.

And, of course, much of the wine we sell is made on my family property. I began to import this wine because my grandfather asked me to. And I couldn’t say no to someone who had been so dedicated and taken such a risk and had been criticized and ridiculed by the entire family and neighbors for doing something completely insane, for turning the family property into organic. He did it because he really cares about the well being of the Earth and everybody else long after he would be gone. So that’s why I did it. I wanted to stay connected with my family and my grandfather. I wanted to support the land I love, the butterflies, and all the animal life. And I knew organic was the way of the future—if we were going to have a future, we needed to defend organic.

Q. What advice do you have for people who want to become organic wine drinkers?

A. One thing to do is go to our Web site, TheOrganicWineCompany.com, or call me directly. [W]e love to turn people on to this. It’s not just about drinking wine. I know your audience is extremely sensitive to the notion of what company or industry they support. And by drinking organic wine and telling your friends about drinking organic wine, which are wines that are made with grapes that are certified organic, you’re not just drinking wine, you are supporting lots of small farmers who have busted their tails for 30 years to defend the Earth, to save the land, to save the butterflies. I mean, this is what you do when you tell people the importance of drinking organic wine. And so that’s what I wanted to do 25 years ago, and there’s still a lot of work to do. Based on what Alex told me this morning, they’re still spraying the living hell out of every place up north from here. And it’s bad for everybody. It kills the animals, it kills the birds, it kills the humans, and it’s going to keep on going until there’s enough consumer awareness that says, “Wait a second, this doesn’t have to be that way.”

Q. Do you have any last words about the Organic Wine Company?

A. What would I want to say? I think it’s really up to us. I know your audience is made of people who are risk-takers, people who care, people who want to do the right thing. And I think it is absolutely critical that each and every one of us—if we are to have a planet that we can breathe in—that each of us takes a little step and supports and cross-markets and supports the choir. You can have this pleasure in your life—wine in moderate consumption is definitely a health factor. And at the same time that you have this pleasure, you can know you are supporting an industry that is desperate for support from consumers.

Very few people know about organic wine—it is imperative that everybody supports us. Again, it’s not just because of the wine, it’s because so much of the wine comes from vineyards that are, at the moment, very badly treated. And it has to do with how the animal life, as well, is impacted by the way conventional wine is made.

Q. Many people think that, in order to make a positive impact, they must deny themselves a pleasure, but you’re saying just the opposite of that.

A. We are giving you the opportunity to have this very healthy pleasure, a quintessential liquid of Mother Earth that has been blessed and has been considered sacred by generations and by very holy men and women, who have used wine as a sacrament. Properly used, wine is a celebration of life. It’s a concentration of so much of life’s vital force, if done properly, if done without damage to the grapes, if it is done with respect. Organic is all about respect, period.

Organic is about doing unto others. Organic and vegan are so close. We are on the same side here—it’s just a matter of looking at it deeply, promoting and sharing the same values. And it would be marvelous to have the support of the vegan community. I know them to be dedicated people. I speak to them on a daily basis when they call to find out if we have vegan wine. And we are delighted to have that. It would be great to have an alliance where they can be a loudspeaker, so more and more acres can be turned over to organic. And, therefore, more and more animals can be supported, and human life can be healed as well.

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