Valentine's Vintages: Organic, Biodynamic and LIVE wines

Drinking wine is a sensuous experience, and paired with the right food, a fine red or white will light up with the subtle flavors of the earth that birthed its grapes while enhancing the tastes of your dishes. But like the well-prepared meals it accompanies, fine wine is about more than eating—it's to be savored during dinnertime conversation with our loved ones on Valentine's Day or any other. And in the dark of winter, fine wines will taste of the summer rain on the grapes, the sunlight that fell on the vines and the warm minerals in the soil. Scott Pactor, owner of Appellation Wines, a Manhattan store specializing in organic and biodynamic varietals, advises wine bibbers to seek out "products with a sense of place that use minimal or no inputs and let the vineyards speak for themselves." Biodynamic and organic vintages are particularly adept at bringing out this sense of place. Below are labels to look for.

Organic

These days, wineries are proud to put the organic label on their bottles, having not only overcome the birth pangs of switching to organic vineyards, but demonstrated that organic practices create a more unique and expressive vintage than homogenized, conventional wines. Of course, organic vineyards also help preserve soil quality, enhance biodiversity and conserve water, ensuring harvests for generations. Note that organic wines must be made entirely from organically produced ingredients. As with organic wines, wines "made with organic grapes" must be made from 100 percent certified organic grapes.

Biodynamic

Even though biodynamic vintners pay attention to astrological cycles, you won't have to worry that your star sign might not match your wine. Biodynamic standards are older than organic, but very closely allied in their promotion of sustainable practices and elimination of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Biodynamic wines, however, can be pricey (www.demeter-usa.org).

LIVE/Salmon Safe

LIVE, Oregon viticulture industry's Low Input Viticulture and Enology label was put in place to ensure that Oregon vineyards remain disease-free, as they have been historically, while limiting the use of chemical pesticides. Certified by the International Organization for Biological Control, LIVE promotes planting of species appropriate to local conditions, reliance on beneficial insects, fungi and plants, and increased biodiversity (www.liveinc.org).

Salmon Safe is a Northwest eco-label for agricultural practices that restores watershed conditions to allow salmon to spawn and thrive. It works in partnership with LIVE to promote runoff control, planting trees near streams and utilizing integrated pest management. Vineyards are inspected by an independent contractor (often an organic certifier) to ensure compliance with both LIVE's and Salmon Safe's standards (for a list of wineries, see www.salmonsafe.org/wine/winelist.cfm).

Sulfites

Although one percent of the population suffers from sulfite allergies (and five percent of asthma sufferers react to sulfites) if you or your partner are allergic, low-sulfite organic wines from the U.S. may be your best choice. All wines contain some sulfites naturally, but European organic wines have added sulfites to levels of between 40 and 80 parts per million (ppm). As noted above, USDA organic regulations do not allow sulfites to be added to certified organic wines, putting American organic wine levels between 10 and 20 ppm. U.S. wines made with organic grapes must have sulfite levels of less than 100 ppm. Conventional wines, however, range from 80 to 120 ppm and higher.

So this Valentine's Day, enjoy a bottle with your dinner (cooked with organic and local ingredients, of course). Also, as a rule of thumb, remember Pactor's advice that the lower the alcohol content the easier a wine is to pair with food. After all, you don't want to slur your sweet nothings.

A recent visit to Appellation wines brought these wines to our attention:

Reds

For a wine to match with Valentine's chocolates, try Spain's Descendientes de J. Palacios' Pétalos del Bierzo 2006 with its earthy, peppery notes ($21.99; biodynamic).

For another good accompaniment with chocolate, try Benziger's 2004 Tribute from Sonoma County, a blend mixing black fruit, herbs, coffee and chocolate flavors. Benziger also buys non-biodynamic grapes from other vineyards, but Tribute is their own fully biodynamic product, if on the pricey side ($71.99; biodynamic).

From a biodynamic producer in the South of France, the affordable Domain Marc Kreydenweiss Costieres de Nimes Perrieres 2005 is a juicy choice, with lots of blackberry and red plum ($17.99, biodynamic).

Heller Estate's Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 from California's Central Coast is a heady offering with a forward flavor of blackberry and cassis ($33.99; organic).

Weingut Weninger Hochachker Blaufrankisch 2004 is an affordable wine full of dark fruit and chocolate flavors ($18.99; organic).

Italy's Cantine del Notaio Il Repertorio 2004 is a striking vintage tasting of black currant and cherries and expanding on the palate to plum preserves ($25.99; organic).

Whites

Austria's Soellner Wogenrain grüner veltliner 2006 is a light, crisp white that complements seafood and pasta ($14.99; biodynamic).

Nikolaihof vom Stein Federspiel Riesling 2005 combines acidity with smoky mineral elements ($31.99; biodynamic).

Madonna Estate's Carneros 2005 is a well-balanced Chardonnay with citrus and apple flavors ($15.99; organic).

From Oregon, Ponzi Vineyard's Willamette Valley Pinot Gris 2006 has notes of pear, cinnamon and minerals that go nicely with shellfish or cream-based soups ($18.99; LIVE, salmon-safe).

Champagne

Pascal Doquet Brut Rose is a Chardonnay blend with a small amount of Pinot Noir and a berry, dough and spice flavor ($48.99; organic)

For a 100-percent Pinot Noir champagne, Fleury Pere and Fils Carte Rouge Brut is a full-bodied offer ($36.99; biodynamic).

Stores

You can find these wines and more at:

Appellation Wines, www.appellationnyc.com

Astor Place Wines, www.astorwines.com

The Organic Wine Company, www.theorganicwinecompany.com

Organic Vintners, www.organicvintners.com