Wow! This is pretty amazing. I wish I had the time to respond to everything here, not that I proclaim to be an expert, but because there are so many interesting points being made. This one is perhaps the best:
“As with your many other US policies shoving your views down others throats to make a point, seems absurd but the new methodology. The many misinformed remarks is quite hilarious and shows how truly ignorant you are of other cultures.”

I, as an American who has not weighed in on this subject, yet, really love to be categorized with the other 350 million of us, because as everyone knows, we are all the same. Which is to say I, along with the rest of us, am a shover of policy to make points?, and ignorant of other cultures.

All that being said, I, as a consumer, don’t like to be lied to. If someone goes to the expense of getting certified then they should charge a little more on that basis. If they don’t go to that expense, then there should be a qualitative difference in the bottle. Having had this wine many times I will say it is good Lambrusco. It is good where there is great. There are others that stand on their quality rather than lie about their ideologies.

I do often support, or spend a little extra for, those who go the extra mile(km) and base their standards on tradition and love of the land–even if they do produce a slightly inferior product. But dishonesty hurts the industry as a whole and this is an industry that has been plagued by it in recent years. When it becomes difficult to distinguish the artist from the entrepreneur someone has failed. I think the most important point we should all take away from this, is someone got caught–it was a lie. We are all now better informed and we can support the people who deserve it, the true artisans of the craft. If you cannot see the truth when someone hands it to you plain and clear, you don’t deserve to. The label is in Italian which I don’t speak, it shows pictures of cycles of the moon, it says “Metido Natura”, using the language barrier as a form of deception is the same as lying, plain to see.

Thank you Dr. Vino for exposing the truth.

To Giancarlo: What does it matter if CeCi makes one wine or twenty. Does that somehow mitigate or dilute the false statements?

Second you state visit the farm. From the information above it states they buy 100% of the grapes at least for the Lambrusco bottling so what would it benefit if one visited the farm. Even if they farm Bio on the estate it would not matter as the fruit is not from the estate.

Finally I do not see how pooling your negative view “American policies” with the statements of Dr. Vino has any benefit in swaying the opinions of his readers. It also funny that you accuse the site of making uninformed statements when you have little of no information regarding the writer and commenter’s as well.

Lawrence: You do not find it interesting that Dr. Vino could not get in touch with the importer but you as a consumer get right through. I also find it interesting that they would share such information with you in the first place.

I also do not believe as a there is any journalistic issue with reproducing a response from Demeter. He as a journalist generated the response through his inquiry and it seemed did nothing to hide who he was or why he was inquiring? In what context is a communication between a company and a journalist privileged communication unless an agreement of anonymity or the information stated is communicated “off the record” and such an agreement is reached before the information is communicated?

Finally to whoever is posting this info. Who not just fess up your mistake and move on. I am sure the wine is very good and will sell just fine without the false BD statements. Admit the error and move on don’t try and attack the person that caught your hand in the cookie jar.

As to the quality of the wine itself, I quoted Jamie Wolff as saying that the wine was popular among the discerning customers of his store and the Times blog post calling it “a beauty.” I have not tried the wine myself. I also noted that two wine guides list the winery and call it important.

Turning to what the main topic of the post, I wrote the importer Rosalie Sendelbach on September 2 asking if I could call her to learn more about the Ceci La Luna lambrusco. My name and hyperlinked web address appeared at the bottom of the mail. She replied promptly via email and said she would prefer to respond to my questions via email. She said nothing about being out of town and nothing about being anyone other than Rosalie Sendelbach.

Among the questions I asked her was whether the wine was Biodynamic, as the Times blog post had called it. I excerpted her response in the original posting on this site where she said it had been certified Biodynamic until 2007.

On September 3, I wrote Alessandro Ceci with the subject “Media inquiry” to the address info@lambrusco.it and export@lambrusco.it. The first is what appears at the contact email in Slow Foods’ Guida al Vino Quotidiano and Luca Maroni’s Annuario dei Migliori Vini Italiani. And someone at the second should speak English and if not, there’s always google translate. I did not hear back. On October 8 I followed up. There was still no reply.

I then wrote Demeter Italy, the Biodynamic certifying agency in Italy. They replied that no wine from Ceci had been certified.

I wrote another email with the subject “media inquiry ‘La Luna’” to both the winery email addresses and copied Ms. Sendelbach stating what Demeter Italy had said and asking for comment. None was forthcoming from any of the parties. So I published the posting and said just that.

If they have something to add at this point, they are welcome to post to the comments.

As to to the substance of the comment from “Lawrence,” I will reply later.

Attached is a screenshot of the three comments from the same IP address.

It helps to read this blog from the top:

“Three emails over a period of weeks to the winemaker Alessandro Ceci seeking comment about grape growing and winemaking practices at the cantine have gone without reply. Nor has the importer replied to a further request for comment about the response from Demeter Italy.”

I agree! Dr. Vino is part and parcel of the right wing cabal responsible for all the ills in this world!

Down with Dr. Evil…I mean Vino! Viva la greenwash!

“RUDOLF STEINER’S WORK…includes “moon cycles””

Where did I refer to anything Demeter?

I think Jeremy talked to the producers and might have more accurate information as to the way in which this wine was made.

Because Rudolf Steiner’s work, the inventor of biodynamic farming, includes “moon cycles”:

“The term biodynamic is taken from the Greek words bios meaning life and dynamis meaning energy. Hence biodynamic farming refers to working with the energies which create and maintain life. In fact, planting during certain days of the moon cycle is important.”

So what else are you supposed to think about when someone talks about “moon cycles, harvest, nature (natura), engery, strength, planet, body” in connection with a bottle of wine?

Here are a couple of bloggers who actually made this association. How dare they!!!:

Farm 225: “Ceci La Luna is…also biodynamic, meaning its grapes are grown in accordance with phases of the moon and traditional farming practices.”
http://www.farm255.com/farmdirt06_july.html

Wine Lovers Page: “As best I can discern from the Italian-only information on the label and in a little booklet tied around the bottle neck, this is a “biodynamic” wine, made with careful attention to such niceties as the phase of the moon during production and bottling.”
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa050907.phtml

Cellar Tracker: “This biodynamic wine takes its name from, what else, the moon.”
http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=240159

Organic Wine Journal: “It may seem a little wacky, with burying the cow horn full of manure in the dirt for a year then spraying your crops with it or harvesting your grapes when the moon is full…Some…favorite Italian producers: Cantine Ceci “La Luna” Lambrusco.”
http://www.organicwinejournal.com/index.php/2009/05/organic-wine-at-inoteca-joe-denton-interview/

Chicago Foodies: “In Chicago we are lucky to have the Lambrusco based wines from Cantina Ceci…you can find…an organic dry Lambrusco called La Luna…I work for the importer…”
http://www.chicagofoodies.com/2009/01/the-return-of-lambrusco.html?cid=146320994#comment-6a00d83451c86d69e2010536f0f7fb970b