What's Really in Your Wine? Regenerative Farming, Biodynamics & the Intelligence of Nature with Alice Anderson

What if wine could be more than a beverage? What if it was a living expression of soil health, intuition, and care?

In this episode of The Vitalist, Dr. Keiko sits down with Alice Anderson, founder and winemaker of Amevive, to explore the intersection of regenerative agriculture, biodynamic farming, and embodied winemaking.

Alice shares her journey from growing up around wine labels to falling in love with animals, farming, and the intelligence of land, eventually founding Amevive in 2019 with a commitment to growing and producing wine that feels as good in the body as it tastes. Together, they unpack what biodynamic and regenerative farming actually mean, how celestial rhythms influence wine, and why small-scale, intuitive practices matter more than ever.

This conversation dives into the unseen side of wine production: from additives and undisclosed processing aids to the sensory, tactile decisions that shape fermentation. Alice explains why many people feel better drinking additive-free wines, how she senses when a wine is ready, and why some of her most beautiful wines were born from accident.

At its heart, this episode is about trust: trusting nature, trusting timing, and remembering that vitality comes from systems designed to work together. Whether you love wine, care about your nerve system, or feel called to more intentional ways of living and consuming, this episode invites you to slow down and taste what's possible.

Connect with Alice & Amevive

Website: https://amevivewine.com/

Find locally: Ask your local wine shop for Amevive

Instagram: @amevive.wine

HIGHLIGHTS:

From horses and animals to Cal Poly: how studying general agriculture led Alice into viticulture and winemaking through hands-on curiosity. (1:43)

Why Alice founded Amevive in 2019 and how it has grown into 21 acres of vineyards rooted in regenerative practices. (3:29)

Living on the land you farm: how Alice experiences work–life balance when your home, vineyard, animals, and creativity are all one ecosystem. (4:29)

What biodynamic wine really means and how the sun, moon, and stars influence the rhythms of farming and fermentation. (5:40)

The role of biodynamic composts: how herbs are used intentionally to amplify soil vitality and microbial intelligence. (6:34)

Regenerative agriculture explained as a closed-loop system where soil, plants, animals, microbes, and humans work in mutual relationship. (7:18)

When and why American farming shifted away from regenerative systems toward monocrops, subsidies, and industrial agriculture. (8:37)

Why intuitive farming matters: learning to observe, listen, and respond rather than impose rigid prescriptions on the land. (10:40)

How to choose wine that's grown with integrity; what to ask for at your local wine shop to avoid greenwashing and monocropped vineyards. (12:34)

Can you taste the difference between biodynamic/regenerative wine and conventional wine? Alice explains why it's more about energy than flavor. (15:14)

Why many people get headaches or stomach aches from wine and why additive-free wines like Amevive feel radically different in the body. (17:00)

A side-by-side look at small-scale, hands-on winemaking versus corporate wine production from harvest to bottle. (19:24)

What is Velcorin, why large wineries use it, and why it's both toxic and legally undisclosed on U.S. wine labels. (22:48)

How Alice knows when wine is ready; reading temperature, texture, tannins, and sensation through each phase of fermentation. (25:19)

The most important decision in red winemaking: when to press and how Alice waits for tannins to soften into sweetness. (27:27)

The art of restraint in farming and winemaking: learning when to intervene and when to trust nature's timing and resilience. (28:48)

How one "mistake" in 2021 led to Alice's favorite Marsanne to date and reshaped her approach to letting wine evolve naturally. (29:26)

Why winemaker-owned wineries often produce the most profound wines, free from external pressure, timelines, and marketing demands. (30:55)

A lesson passed down from another natural winemaker: "If it tastes bad, just wait." Why patience is a creative force. (32:15)

The true intention behind Alice's wine: not perfection, but joy, aliveness, and genuine pleasure. (33:17)

Trusted regenerative wine producers to look for when Amevive is sold out: Scar of the Sea, Lady of the Sunshine, and Tablas Creek. (34:27)

The future of regenerative farming and why Alice believes soil health is the foundation of human and planetary vitality. (35:08)

Where to connect with Alice, experience the wines, and learn directly from the land. (37:53)

Connect with Alice & Amevive

Website: https://amevivewine.com/

Find locally: Ask your local wine shop for Amevive

Instagram: @amevive.wine

Scar of the Sea: https://www.scaroftheseawines.com/

Lady of the Sunshine: https://www.ladyofthesunshinewines.com/

Tablas Creek: https://tablascreek.com/

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