“Organic wine or conventional, with or without sulphur, what the consumers really want is good wine” (Dec 02, 2009)

Clark Wine Center is pleased to relay interesting news and articles about wine to you on this web site.  We hope that this will enhance your wine shopping experience when you visit this wine shop in Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone.

The European authorities and farming representatives from member states are currently thrashing out the regulations surrounding winemaking in organic farming, so that instead of talking about “wine from organically grown grapes” we will actually be able to say “organic wine”. The main bone of contention between member states is the question of sulphites – which is also the issue troubling consumers.

For Monique Jonis, in charge of this area at ITAB (Institut Technique de l’Agriculture Biologique), current EU proposals are unsatisfactory : “We would very quickly reach an agreement between member states if it weren’t for the question of sulphites. On the one hand, we have our northern wine producing countries, with cold climates and white wines, including numerous sweet wines, for which a certain degree of sulphites is indispensable. On the other, we have warmer countries such as Spain and Italy, where production is dominated by red wines, and there is much less need to add sulphites to ensure the lasting quality of the wine. These southern countries are advocating a 50% reduction in sulphites. France has maintained a position somewhere between the two extremes : a 20% reduction, since we have both hot and cold regions, both red and white wine, and are looking to preserve a certain degree of flexibility when it comes to sulphites.

We examined the European Commission’s first proposal for a 50% reduction (75mg for red wine, 100mg for white and rosé) and found it to be unacceptable for the French industry. The latest proposal envisages a reduction of 75mg for all wines – that is still too high for us.

I think everyone agrees that it is very discouraging to see the debate about organic wine reduced to the question of sulphites. An organic wine is first and foremost a wine produced from organic grapes : it is the result of a great deal of labour on the vines, and excludes the use of certain additives and techniques. At the same time, the debate about sulphites is completely out of proportion with the actual impact they have on public health.

It seems that sulphites are the only additive that consumers are familiar with, and so we are faced with a communication issue. But we must not delude ourselves : what the consumers want above all is good quality wine, whether organic or conventional, with or without sulphites – it is the quality that leads consumers to buy.”

Clark Wine Center was built in 2003 by Hong Kong-based Yats International Leisure Philippines to become the largest wine shop in Philippines supplying Asia’s wine lovers with fine vintage wines at attractive prices.  Today, this wine shop in Clark Philippines offers over 2000 selections of fine wines from all major wine regions in the world.  As a leading wine supplier in Philippines, Pampanga’s Clark Wine Center offers an incomparable breadth of vintages, wines from back vintages spanning over 50 years.  Clark Wine Center is located in Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone adjacent to Angeles City, just 25 minutes from Subic and 45 minutes from Manila.

Wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone, Loire, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Alsace, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa, Chile and Argentina etc. are well represented in this Clark Wine Shop.

For more information, email Wine@Yats-International.com or visit http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila

Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple:  after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave.  From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City.  From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.