This video is a compilation of my harvests in the agroturismos of Italy, the desert of Argentina, and the sunshine of northern California. The music is one of my favorite songs of all time, it’s called Voyageur by Enigma. I moved out to California a year ago with a bottle of GrapeThinking, a bottle of ideas I guess you could say, that started filling up 5 years ago with conversation between myself, Jacob Bohall, Ruarri Rogan, Meghan O’Malley, and many others. Over the past year, those ideas have delightfully fermented, and the time has finally come for us to have a taste…

~circuit to cell, web to water, mind to vine~

They bought a car with another girl (the rock star of the group), and were planning to head way north to work on a farm for a little bit. They invited me to go, so I left my suitcase with a friend in San Francisco and hit the road with them. The following few weeks were beyond amazing… so many serendipities. My favorite was running into one of the winemakers I worked with everyday for 2 months in Argentina earlier this year in a small grocery store parking lot in Napa, and I just so happened to have a bottle of the organic wine we worked on in my backpack. Our car turned into a sustainable circus. We worked on the farm we set out for, did a little harvest work at a winery, but mainly stayed on the road visiting sustainable farms all around northern Cali. We touched Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa, and Marin.

A couple of our favorites were Filigreen Farm in Anderson Valley, where Chris Tebbutt has built an amazing mixed biodynamic agriculture setup of vines and fruit orchards, it was incredible. He also had huge solar arrays setup that produce 100% of the farm’s energy… a true thinking farm. We also visited Paul Dolan at his biodynamic Dark Horse Farming Ranch in Ukiah, which was powerful. He has an “energy center” with his flow form, preparations, and a stunning “bug strip” of crazy flowers and vegetation that generates the biodiversity and balance in his vineyard. On our way south, we made a stop at Solar City somewhere on 101 south of Ukiah, which is a sustainable building/living community. We slept in a teepee and talked about what it takes to build sustainable communities.

Somewhere along the way we got tipped off about the Bioneers conference down in San Rafael so we trekked down there and crashed the conference for the weekend. I talked to Rebecca of the Biodynamics Association about heading up their booth for a day in exchange for a free pass, and she graciously accepted my offer. We got to see some amazing speakers and share even more amazing ideas, and I was able to pitch biodynamics all day Sunday at the trade show. I met some more of the folks with RSF Social Finance as well, which, in my opinion, is one of the most innovative financial organizations that exists.

We just kept going, drinking, laughing, breathing, seeing how these amazing farms are changing the environment, all while staying break even along the way. We went crazy and then sane and then crazy again. It was a ride. Now, I’m back in San Francisco to do some GrapeThinking. Represent some biowines, bring our own GT wine to market… use the elixir to drive the sustainable development of farms and communities.

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Wow, what an excellent conference! A game changer. I have to thank my friends over at Village Green Energy for hooking me up with a free pass. I’ve been so passionate about this movement as long as I can remember… ever since 6th grade when I messed around with electromagenetic fields and plants. Early education for me was all about ecology and environment, and that followed with rigorous economics in college, which I didn’t quite understand about myself until now. Having not gone into banking with my degree and now seeing the state of the economy I was like shit… but David Suzuki put it so clearly… it’s (eco)nomics. I can’t believe I never recognized that. I automatically associated economics with the greedy, short-sighted mentality of Wall Street that focuses solely on the bottom line and exploiting the market for cash and egoic status. Yet you realize the bottom line is not the statement of cash flows or the balance sheet… it’s the fuckin planet. Ecology + Economics = Sustainability. This conference was absolutely buzzing! People were feeling alive and connecting and touching each other like I’ve never seen in my life. We all knew the green revolution is ready and about to change the world in a big way.

The keynotes were superb with Al Gore, Jerrry Brown, and David Suzuki really leaving a moving impact on me. Nobody was afraid to go deep. Sure there was plenty of talk about clean tech innovations or green building or policy changes.. but more so people were incredibly open about spiritual and conciousness based changes that are going to take place around the world to solve this crisis. Sarah Susanka even brought the crowd to tears with her moving presentation. It’s so much bigger than green or solar or oil… it’s about enlightening the human race that we are one and we share the same spirit with each other and with the world as a whole. I found it to be quite the religious experience to be at this conference. A few others being recently when I went into the wild of Alaska for a few weeks and when I saw the Dalai Lama speak in Bethlehem, Pa.

Aside from the heavy stuff, there were tons of innovative companies doing everything from cutting edge solar installs, to green acrhitecture consulting, to new age battery storage, smart grid stuff, efficiency software, New Resource Bank (which is exploding with business during this banking crisis… lol gotta love it!) and sooo much more. You had builders, utility reps, entrepreneurs, mad scientists, engineers, and everyone was so open and loving and connecting. I was blown away… it took me 3 full days to digest it all.

There were also brilliant seminars and panels, the best one for me being the State of Investing in Clean Tech, where partners from KPCB, Foundation, Sigma, and DFJ (all the big Menlo Park firms) talked about what companies they’re investing in and what technology is working… and yet something was different. These are VCs and of course money is there first concern, but with this clean green movement we are finally going to enter into a phase of social… or better yet eco-capitalism… where we benefit the environment and the social welfare of all while making a shitload of money and creating a shitload of jobs. This is an unprecendented opportunity in economic human history. Create a concentrically cyclical supply chain and pass the prosperity around the world. I was inspired by the VCs stories of how they’re going green in their own lives and their deep personal commitment.

A few themes from the conference to leave you with:

1) Nature to the grid baby – energy, health, architecture

2) Ecology + Economics = Sustainability (Eco-Capitalism)

3) Sky power will fuel the earth

4) The only thing special about humans is our foresight… our ability to see and shape the future. So lets use it.

5) A new connected conciousness is emerging that will limit the individual ego that has evolved and scorched our earth with fragmented, disjointed, greedy agendas. The only chance at eternal life is if we live together as one.

6) Be the change you want to see in the world!

In my humble opinion, these are unprecedented and magical times in the history of our race and our planet. There’s no better place to be then right here, and right now.

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This article was written by Joseph Ho of uShip.com, an online marketplace for moving companies.

Moving wine bottles can be quite a daunting task. Imagine unpacking in your new home and realizing your most prized bottle has been cracked and is leaking on your other possessions.  Read on for a step-by-step guide to prevent damage to your wine during a move.

1. Use a box with dividers. You can purchase boxes with dividers specifically designed for wine and liquor bottles from moving companies. An alternative is getting similar boxes for free from wineries, liquor stores, restaurants, or supermarkets. Stick to using smaller boxes for ease of transport. Multiple wine bottles in a box can be heavy and hard to handle, an undesirable combination for fragile items.
2. Reinforce the bottom of the box with extra tape. The last thing you want is for all the bottles in the box to fall out the bottom of the box while it is being carried.
3. Make sure the bottles are tightly corked.  A good preventive measure to avoid the loosening of corks in transport is to secure the corks using wire cork cages, especially for sparkling wines.
4. Wrap the bottles with paper or bubble wrap. Start at a corner of the paper and wrap the bottle diagonally on the sheet, folding in the excess paper on the sides as you roll the bottle. When done rolling, wrap the exterior of the bundle with shipping tape to secure the wrapping and any loose ends.
5. Place the wrapped bottles in the dividers, and fill in the empty space with packing peanuts or crumpled newspaper.
6. Seal the top of the box with a generous amount of tape.
7. Clearly label the box as fragile to prevent damage.
8. During transport, make an effort to keep the temperature of the bottles as low as possible. Many moving companies offer climate controlled moving vans.  Ideally, the wine should be kept at 55°F to prevent damage, but this may be impractical. You may want to carry more expensive bottles in an ice chest with dry ice.

There is no feeling quite like opening a nice bottle of wine after moving into your new home. By exercising caution and following these steps, you will surely transport your wine collection successfully.

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If you are in the mood for traveling, or nearby, you should probably set your sites on one of these cities, as they we’re recently ranked The Top 10 Places to Celebrate July 4th:

1. Boston
2. Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard
3. Chicago
4. Mount Rushmore
5. Philadelphia
6. Queen Mary 2
7. San Diego
8. San Juan Islands
9. US Virgin Islands
10. Washington, DC

Enjoy a safe 4th of July and Happy Birthday America!

What is crazy is that none of these firework shows above will compare to the Thunder over Louisville show.  I know Louisville has a great show, so if you are nearby there (Jeff…), it would probably be worth the trip.  As a child, our family would always trek to see Thunder Over Louisville in early April, which is claimed to be the “Larget Fireworks Show in North America”… here is clip from last year’s show:

Also… We have some exciting changes here at Grape Thinking (inside and outside) that we will be sharing with you soon!  Just in case you haven’t noticed, we have made quite a few changes to our site, and have more to come.

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I chose this wine because with the unofficial start of summer Alsace is perfect. The white wines here are well known with the Rieslings and Gewurztraminers, and their sparkling wines prosper as well. Another key point is these wines are not expensive at all. Alsace is respected but it doesn’t have the same prestige as Champagne, Burgundy, or Bordeaux. This is great for you. In the US a typical bottle will be between $12 to $20.

This wine is from Rene Muré, a Cremant d’Alsace. On the nose is a wave of fresh pears and peaches. Keeping with the farm stand pattern it’s granny smith apples that take over the palate. This wine is a Brut, so it’s going to be dry, but with a slight sweetness upfront. Overall it is fresh and bright.

Now if anyone was wondering, yes, Cremant does taste delicious with Cassis Liqueur or perhaps orange juice. Did someone say Mimosa? I could swear I heard someone say it. Well either way, this is a fantastic way to liven up Sunday brunch and to Wine Your Diet. It’s light, refreshing, an excellent source of calcium, and one way to stay cool in the hot sun. There is one problem with Mimosas though; they go down way to fast. Pace yourself, there is something called too much calcium.

From Pars I say au revoir, but soon I will be greeting you from New York in hopes of bringing back pride to Long Island wines. For now go grab any bottle of sparkling wine, it doesn’t even have to be from France, pop it, enjoy it, and as always don’t forget to Wine Your Diet.

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When I first arrived in Paris I thought it would be fun to go to a wine tasting. I had basic knowledge of French wine, but I was starting to read my French wine books and decided that a bit of reinforcement wouldn’t be the worst thing. Ô Chateau conducts different wine tastings in English. In a non-intimidating environment the speaker, who was born in Burgundy and lived and worked in Napa Valley, put you at ease and spoke about wine in a way that no matter what level you were at you would understand. We tried seven different wines ranging from Alsace and the Loire to the Rhone and Bordeaux. There was one region that stood out the most for me, Languedoc Rousillon. Located in the south of France, it is south of the Rhone and to the west of Nice. There was incredible body to this wine and developed on your palate to no end. I was in love.

I’ve had a few good experiences with this region, so let’s try it again. I had the 2006 Collioure, Appellation Collioure Controle. Collioure is as south as the region gets, as it breezes by the coast. Unusual for a French wine to have information on the back, this one told me it was made from Grenache Noir. Fantastic, this is sounding good already. On the nose there were strong earth tones. Initially I could even smell the sand from the beaches, then the wind came in and ripe berries were pulled through. I was extremely excited to drink this wine, but unfortunately sometimes you can be fooled by your senses. First reaction I was ready to spit it out. I’m a reasonable person so I gave it another chance. It was just too dry and harsh, not well balanced at all.

I remembered what someone in Burgundy told me about decanting. Old wine should never be decanted because you will age them and loose their essence. Young wines on the other hand, decant away because you are now helping it achieve what the winemaker had in mind. I’m renting a furnished apartment and as the French love their wine, they don’t equip all their apartments with decanters. I poured a glass and let it sit for about an hour. It wasn’t that tempting, I really wasn’t that excited to drink it again.

Time passed and it helped. This still wasn’t the wine that I fell in love with, but there were definite improvements. It wasn’t as attacking on the palate, but there was a bit of bite. Oh well, you can’t win them all. Please don’t let this deter you from trying wines from Languedoc Rousillon because there are really some great wines being produced here. If I let every bad California wine get in my way then I would have given up on it a long time ago. Also, I found that pairing food helps. It won’t ruin your meal, but if you’re doing something simple like pasta then you really can’t ruin it. Who ruins pasta? If you know anyone that does then please give me their name, I’d like to help. In conclusion, Languedoc Rousillon wines are delicious, so go out and grab a bottle and don’t forget to Wine Your Diet.

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Caveau is a breath of fresh air for the city centre, with an urban-rustic feel to it, combining class and elegance with a laid back environment. The design, lay out and mood leave you feeling like you’ve stepped out of Cape Town and discovered a more modern Franschoek. On the three occasions I’ve been there I’ve shared a bottle of their 2004 Spice Route Mourvedre. Accustomed to the Cape’s usual Noble varietals it’s amazing to see how well other cultivars benefit from the Cape’s rich soils. This is a nice big red that has a faint bloody-Maryesque note on the nose. It’s great to see how this Spanish wine has done – bring on Tempranillo!

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I recently traveled to Reims, Champagne and to Dijon and Beaune in Burgundy. Reims and Epernay are the two big cities in Champagne that attract tourists. Reims was an enjoyable city to walk the streets with cafes lining pedestrian only walkways and a glass of Champagne in hand. The cellars were informative but you certainly don’t have to continue from one house to another, you will be receiving the same information at all. For most houses you need an appointment, which gave me the feeling of not being welcomed. Wine should not just be for a certain group of people that can fit the schedule. We were able though to get an appointment at Pommery and then we continued to Taittinger where there were no appointments necessary.The two tours if combined would have been spectacular, but where one lacked energy the other lacked information. After the tour you are given a glass of Champagne, well actually you paid for it with admission. Most houses are 10 euros, so put a few tours together in one day that will tell you the same information, then you have just wasted a lot of money. Instead I would recommend going to one house and then heading over to a café and popping a bottle and just enjoy your surroundings.

The next stop on the trip was Dijon in Burgundy…
Dijon was filled with friendly faces that knew each other and just enjoyed being. With their cobblestone streets and medieval appeal, it was refreshing to be here. In one restaurant they have a mock guillotine set up with different types of meats hanging from it. The server explained where we were, Place Emile Zola, was the location of guilloting, so they were incorporating history with the dining experience. The people were friendly, the atmosphere relaxing, and then history was alive.

One more place to go before heading back to Paris: Beaune. Beaune was a twenty-minute train ride south of Dijon. When we arrived we walked through the marketplace and picked up cheese and meats from sellers who would happily cut a sample for you before buying. Then of course, being in the land of mustard we had to include it in our picnic we were building. Once that was in order we had to make a decision, should we be tourists and stay in town and go to the houses and only sample the minimal and not really connect with the wine or do we rent bikes and head out into the vineyards and meet with the people who create them? Of course we rented the bikes. We went to Bourgogne Randonnées, right by the train station and the owners mapped out a route for us including vineyards to stop at.

We stopped at a few vineyards but one stood out strong, Château l’Ange Gardien (www.chateu-langegardien.com). We pulled up and it seemed like a scene in a movie. The husband and winemaker, Pierre was just pulling out to go to the fields and his wife Nicole was sitting at a picnic table enjoying her lunch with flowers and trees surrounding her. She immediately came over to us and brought us in to taste her wines. I can honestly say there was not one wine I didn’t enjoy. And then to finish it off she gave us a Kir Royal made with Cassis Liquor, that they also produced, as well as a fantastically refreshing bottle of Crémant.

I could have spent all day and all my money there but we had to move on to our next destination. When we go back into Beaune we dropped off the bikes and café hopped, having a different glass of wine at each. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. Beaune had the friendly appeal of Dijon, but there was something about being there that made you never want to leave. Actually, the woman from the bike shop was originally from Canada and came on vacation to Beaune. Then eighteen years later she never left.

While visiting Château l’Ange Gardien, I learned that there is a natural element in Pinot Noir that aids with digestion. I think the French are on to something here. Go grab a bottle of Burgundy and pair it with something delicious, but don’t forget to Wine Your Diet.

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