Recently, there has been a large rise in the number of wineries using terminology such as organic or natural on their bottles. Following the current world trend of being more environmentally conscious, and questioning where our products come from, winemakers have started to take some different approaches to their craft, resulting in a few new groups of organic and sustainable wines.
Below are the three most popular forms of organic wine and the differences between them.Organic Wine
While all the following are technically organic wine, as they are produced without the use of artificial chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides, this category is stated to be organic on the label.
In their most basic form, an organic white wine, or red, is a wine produced using only grapes that are grown naturally, and contain no added artificial chemicals. Some alternate organic methods of pest control are to use a crop that will attract insects known to repel unwanted attention or to use livestock to graze on weeds.
Be sure to check for your location’s assurance of organic quality, as most countries will use a different system. And remember that, while free from unnatural chemical additives, organic wines can still contain sulfur and other preservatives.
Biodynamic Wine
A different branch of organic wines, biodynamic wine has been around as a method of winemaking since the late 1800s. As with standard organic wines, the vineyard will make efforts to avoid using any pesticides or chemical fertilizers, and try to view the vineyard as a united sustainable system.
The main difference between biodynamic wines and the usual organic wines is that biodynamic winemakers will use soil supplements and, unusually, allow their farming schedules to be dictated by the heavens.
Biodynamic farmers will, using a variety of methods, consult astrology in the managing of their vineyards, and as such this style of farming is viewed as a blend of science and mysticism.
Nonetheless, this is a very popular, amplified version of organic farming, and produces some world-class wines.
Preservative-Free Wine
When you buy organic wine, do not assume that it will be free of all preservatives, as many are naturally occurring, and viewed to be organic. If you want a wine totally free of preservatives you must shop in this category, sometimes also known as minimal intervention wine.
Sulfites, the most common additive due to their use as a preserving agent, are naturally occurring, and so are not necessarily a bad thing. However, they can cause allergic reactions, headaches, and also the higher quality the wine, the less need there is for preservatives, so often they mask the poor quality.
The Bottom Line
The current trend of sustainable living and conscious consumption has made these best organic wines more readily available and accepted in society. The increase in interest has also increased the quality of these wines so that organic is no longer something to be avoided. If you are leaning towards organic wines, why not join an organic wine club, and see what they have to offer?