Comments on: Nicolas Joly on appellations, life forces and electromagnetic fields

By: DF

DF — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:12:00 +0000

What about the palate destroying effects of smoking a cigar? If he is concerned about poison he should not be smoking.

By: Nate

Nate — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:15:46 +0000

Now this is my kind of crazy. Whether he’s technically correct or way off the mark his comments are testament to his obsession with letting wine be wine. I wish I had been there!

By: EMF Guy

EMF Guy — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:37:03 +0000

Nicolas Joly,

You are right on.
As a researcher in this area for 19 years, it is certain EMF will be counted the hazard of the century.

And then, the future of medicine, ironically.

My question to you is, what is the impact on wines? Their flavour, nutrients and teh rest?
And why don’t know introduce the world’s first EMF-Safe wine?

Let me know, we’d be delighted to collaborate.

EMF Guy

By: Joe Friday

Joe Friday — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 20:51:08 +0000

Making wines with minimal chemical interference is always preferable. Unfortunately, his message is lost when he begins to talk about electromagnetic interference. He becomes just another “tin foil hat dude” who is not taken seriously by anyone.

By: Energy in the wines at the Return to Terroir | Dr Vino's wine blog

Energy in the wines at the Return to Terroir | Dr Vino's wine blog — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:55:21 +0000

[...] Nicolas Joly’s talk wasn’t the only thing packed on Monday; the tasting itself at Return to Terroir, NYC edition, was really crowded in the latter half. [...]

By: Doug Smith

Doug Smith — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:32:16 +0000

The evidence I’m aware of is that a generally organic program (lutte raisonée) with good mulching and without the use of powerful herbicides and pesticides tends to produce healthier soils and vines, and perhaps better wines.

But the additional stuff particular to biodynamics — the preparations, the astrology, the moon-stuff, the cow horns and so on — are scientifically baseless and completely useless.

By: gabe

gabe — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:52:51 +0000

lots of controversial and combative statements from Mr. Joly. While I don’t agree with everything he says, I will second the comments made by Douglas. I’ll take Nicholas Joly over 10 UC-Davis Chemists, any day of the week.

By: Jean-Luc

Jean-Luc — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:57:38 +0000

I appreciate Mr Joly’s discourse, although he can go on tangents that make little sense at times. He was one of the first winemaker to educate about biodynamics back in the early 90′s teaching to an empty room, and it’s fantastic to hear that his talk his week was to standing room only. Biodynamics are here to stay and one of the greatest change in winemaking of the last quarter century and some of the greatest estates in the world work according to its principles. Now, if only his wines were as good as his rhetoric. I’ve been burned way too many times with unbalanced, overripe and oxidized wines from La Coulee de Serrant and I so miss the wines produced by his Mom in the 70′s and early 80′s. La Coulee de Serrant is one of the greatest terroir in France and I really wish the wines produced there today reflected of this fact.

By: Fabio (Vinos Ambiz)

Fabio (Vinos Ambiz) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:28:56 +0000

I think you can critized and analize all you like, and even though there’s a lot of mystic stuff and craziness that we don’t understand or can explain (yet?), the bottom line is that biodynamics works! All other things being equal, it produces better quality grapes, from healthier vines, on healthier soil, doesn’t pollute the environment, etc, and some of the best wines in the world are made using biodynamics, even though they keep a low profile – no doubt they don’t want to be associated with the mystic crazy stuff. Domaine de la Romanee Conti, for example.

By: Douglas

Douglas — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:10:46 +0000

One wine drinker’s take on Monsieur Joly and his wines, tasted at the Astor Center on Feb. 26:

http://www.205food.com/meals_2011/meet-nicolas-joly.html

By: Philippe Newlin

Philippe Newlin — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 22:52:28 +0000

Love Nicolas as a person. There is so much there to foster conversation. I just wish he would add the human element to nature by working a little bit in the cellar. Nature alone does not guide the wine to a healthy conclusion before bottling.

By: Doug Smith

Doug Smith — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:29:15 +0000

Good lord, Dr. Vino, where does one start?

– What does Joly mean that herbicides “cause the plants to get sick but do not let the disease actually run its course”? Which plants? Which herbicides?

– Copper sulfate is very toxic and does not break down in the environment. See for example: http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/coppersu.htm . To compare it to oxygen is absurd.

– Radiation from cell phones has been demonstrated safe. It is at too low a level to break chemical bonds and hence can do nothing more than heat. If Joly is concerned about cellphone radiation he should be much more concerned about the radiation from the “growth producing” sun, UV rays from which are a form of ionizing radiation that break chemical bonds and cause skin cancer.

– Cellphones have nothing to do with satellites, wine, grape vines or (for heaven’s sake) the polarity of the earth!

Joly may well be a skilled winemaker, but I think one owes it to one’s audience to point out his general clownishness.

By: Chuck Antonio

Chuck Antonio — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:06:24 +0000

One of my greatest fears is to be around a bunch of people texting and talking on their smart phones in a Charles Shaw tasting room – killing my brain and my taste buds at one time! But then why would I be there in the first place? It’s a nightmare.

By: Douglas

Douglas — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:52:44 +0000

You’ve won a prize! Yes, you have the opportunity to spend an entire day with the winemaker of your choice! Who will you pick? The affable science geek trained at UC Davis or the genial, expansive, self-deprecating, funny and fascinating Nicolas Joly? No decision here.

By: Return to Terroir / La Renaissance des Appellations | girl on wine

Return to Terroir / La Renaissance des Appellations | girl on wine — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:52:01 +0000

[...] Return to Terroir was established by Nicolas Joly, a French winegrower who owns the estate Coulée de Serrant in the Loire Valley. He is an especially passionate advocate of biodynamic wine production. Return to Terroir was just in NYC, and you can get a sneak preview of Nicolas Joly’s approach in this post over at Dr. Vino. [...]