Fetzer Vineyards, the wine subsidiary of the US wines and spirits group, Brown-Forman, has said that it plans to produce its four major wine labels almost entirely from organically grown grapes by the end of the decade.
Fetzer, part of Brown-Forman since 1992 and the tenth largest wine producer in California, says that at present around 15% of its grapes are grown organically but that figure will swell to 98% by 2010 if all goes to plan.
Fetzer was a pioneer in organic grape production and has been a fierce advocate of organic farming for many years. The company’s president, Paul Dolan, says he is convinced that the organic process produces better fruit while there is also a marketing benefit to the organic tag, particularly in Europe.
