San Diego Unseen: An Urban Portrait
But some organic vintners make a pretty darn good living keeping the risk at the lowest level possible—like Frey Vineyards, Ltd., out of Redwood City. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Frey’s fare contains no detectable sulfites, which means you can enjoy the Natural Red table wine, the company’s best-selling entry, to your heart’s content. This one’s a blend of organically grown Carignane, Zinfandel and Syrah grapes—that means it’s so deep a red that it flirts with turning black. Don’t let the inkiness scare you off; the fruity notes are as pastoral and inviting as the Redwood Valley itself, and the entry rivals the best Merlot in its versatility. Suddenly, I’m a big pasta eater, and this makes a perfect complement. I can also see this at a picnic, alongside everything from turkey sandwiches to potato salad. It probably doesn’t pair that well with black-tar heroin; then again, neither do you.
So quaff hearty, knowing that you’re drinking at the trough of experience (in 1980, Frey became the country’s first organic vintner). Toast and toast again to your new find’s exceedingly low price ($12.99 at the best wine stores). Those stinky ol’ sulfites are a necessary evil, but the forces of good are keeping it at bay.
—Martin Jones Westlin
