Minimal-Intervention Philosophy Requires Constant Intervention

Explaining that his approach amounts to a refusal to manipulate the wine in any way, minimal-intervention producer Wren Baldassari confirmed Tuesday that the philosophy demands he check on the wine roughly nine times a day, sources reported. “The whole point is that I’m not doing anything to it,” said Baldassari, who had taken four temperature readings, smelled every open vessel twice, tasted through the entire cellar, made a phone call about volatile acidity, and moved a fan, all before eleven. “Doing nothing is much harder than people realize. It’s exhausting. You have to be there constantly to make sure you’re not doing anything.” Baldassari added that he had not slept properly in six weeks on account of all the not intervening.