Andrew Backlin
Modales Wines, Transitioning To Organic Vinifera in Michigan
We’re going back to Michigan for this episode to talk to Andrew Backlin, the production managager / winemaker of Modales Wines in Fenville, Michigan. You may have heard Andrew’s voice already if you listened to the first part of my special Death In the Vineyard series, that I just released last week.
Andrew introduced me to a little known fact outside of Michigan. Michigan farmers produce over 300 different kinds of crops, making Michigan the second most agriculturally diverse state in the US… after only California.
Andrew tells the story of Modales’ transition from conventional wine production just four years ago, to fully organic for the last three years and now certified… growing mostly vinifera. Their vineyard went from dead, round-up nuked hardpan with basically zero organic matter, to living, thriving, healthy soils with worms and a 400% increase in organic matter. You can hear in his voice and enthusiasm that his participation in regenerating this ecosystem has lit him up, and it’s infectious.
On the other hand, he also doesn’t shy away from mentioning the big problems that still face winegrowers who want to do the right thing but who have inherited a large investment in vinifera in a temperate, humid climate that was made possible by chemistry.
I want to mention just one of those issues as a call to action. Andrew at one point mentions the fact that because something like 95% of the wine in the US comes from the west coast where we don’t face problems like black rot, very little research and investment has gone into organic controls for black rot specifically, and it is the main Achilles heel of organic viticulture in humid climates. While I of course think grape breeding should be a primary effort to solve this and other fungal issues, the reality is that many hybrids also have issues with black rot, and there are very few hybrids that can tolerate this fungus in very wet years. And Andrew brings up several other great points about why better organic sprays are necessary given the current wine culture… unless the USDA wants to invest millions of dollars on marketing to create a new wine culture that’s not chauvinistic toward hybrids.
Come to think of it, the USDA could sponsor this podcast to help with that effort...
A few other important things to know about Andrew… he’s a California native who moved to Michigan for wine. He gave me the inspiration and gentle kick in the butt to create the Beyond Organic Wine google group for anyone who is learning and trying to farm and make wine in more ecological, better than organic ways … and if you’d like to join, just log into google go to groups and search beyondorganicwine all one word with no spaces and ask to join. It’s a low key vibe community… no one is trying to sell anything, but we’re there when you have questions or important discoveries to share… and the more the merrier, healthier, and better at farming and winemaking we will be. So we hope to connect with you there.
Finally, I have tried Andrew’s wines and I they are wines I can’t wait to buy again, and not just because I want to support their leadership in Michigan organic viticulture. They are delicious, diverse, and interesting. Andrew makes what he calls “natural wines that you don’t know are natural” for Modales. He has some classic cool-climate single variety wines, as well as some blends of vinifera and hybrids, sparkling and orange. And if you’d like to try them or, in my case, re-try them, Modales has created a 20% discount code that is good until the end of the year. The code is MODALESBOW20 for 20% off wine purchases until the end of 2024.
And you can purchase those wines at Modaleswines.com
Now the one catch is that because of Michigan’s protectionist and litigious stance on interstate wine commerce, shipping is only available for those of you who live in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Florida, Arizona. The rest of us just need to go visit… apparently Michigan is worth the trip.
As Andrew talks us through both the hopes and the realities of transitioning to organic vinifera viticulture in his climate, there’s as much to learn as be inspired by. Enjoy.
Michigan is the #2 farming state in diversity of crops
https://farmflavor.com/michigan/michigan-farm-to-table/diversity-of-michigan-agriculture/
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