1. Brown Club of Southern California
Topanga Skyline Vineyards produces certified organic and biodynamic estate grown wines right here in the Topanga Canyon by Kathy Gill Hagopian, MD'89 and husband Stefan Hagopian. Hand producing only 100 cases per year, Topanga Skyline wines are stocked by only the finest of outlets in the Beverly Hills and Santa Monica area. Tastings of both sulfite and non-sulfite wines will be available to demonstrate organic versus additive products. Kathy will also give a short talk on the biodynamic wine producing process and its differences with traditional winemaking.

2. Cornell Winery and Tasting Room
Here at Cornell we believe that the emerging wine community here in the Santa Monica Mountains is truly unique, not only because of the incredible terroir “geology” but the philosophies and personalities behind the multitude of growers and winemakers. Our motto is "Drink Local Wine" and our mission is to help this become a reality for those that visit. Our selection of wines may be the most unique offering in Southern California for we are focused on those producers who live right here in our backyard. Come explore the Santa Monica Mountains at Cornell Winery & Tasting room. Topanga Skyline Vineyards featured.

3. Organic wines attract interest: green wines may tip sales higher during tough economy.
Last month Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Fleming's Prime Steakhouse began labeling the organic and sustainable wines on its extensive wine list. "We're finding that the winemakers who use these methods are dedicated," says Frank Kliegel, manager and wine director. Presenting a selection of organic, sustainable and biodynamic wines is also a priority at Flemings.
Organic wine production falls largely into three categories of practices: sustainable, organic and biodynamic. Organic wines are tightly regulated under both domestic and international standards. Biodynamic operations are certified by the biodynamic certifying organization Demeter and sustainable practices can be certified to a certain extent by third parties but remain largely unregulated. The method of production and quality of wines varies under each category.
The Wilshire, a restaurant featuring urban cuisine in Santa Monica, promotes organic food, as well as wine and spirits because "it's the right thing to do," said Nick Fielding, general manager. "We feel it's important to support local growers, which has become increasingly important to our customers," he said. The Wilshire's 21-page wine list features a number of organic wines such as a Topanga 2005 Skyline Vineyards Respite Cabernet Sauvignon for $103.

4. THE HISTORY OF THE CATEGORY
The labeling term, "made from organically grown grapes," is a designation available to producers who farm or purchase grapes grown on organically certified land, a complex process that takes several years to meet the various certification standards.
A winery's bottling plant's handling and processing operations must also be certified, according to the Washington D.C.-based National Organic Program (NOP) regulations. Only wineries certified under the USDA rules may identify their wines as organic.
Sustainable and biodynamic winegrowing is practiced by many California producers and grape growers. It is a structured program of best practices for wine from the ground to the glass, involving not only many organic grape growing techniques, but the preservation of wildlife habitat and water, soil and air quality. Many biodynamic producers even work with the rhythms of the sun and moon to create biodynamic balance and diversity in the vineyard.