People care more about where their produce comes from these days, and that includes wine. You might not think wine can be organic or perhaps you think it all is; in fact, all organic wine wears this badge of honor proudly.
Winc takes our top spot for the best organic wine club around. It offers the best selection as well as the greatest variety when it comes down to customization. That being said, there are plenty of great clubs out there. |
More people are choosing fresh and locally grown produce and other food products that are free of additives and pesticides. Many individuals want to consume organic wine but are left confused with complex terminology and labels.
Of course, the first thing you want to look for in a club is that it actually sells organic wine. But other important factors to consider are the price, whether they can ship to your location, reliable customer service, and much more.
We’ve done all the hard work for you, putting together a list of the best organic wine clubs out right now. Whether first place or last, each one gets a mention for good reason.
Winc has been around for almost a decade, offering a great selection of organic wines as well as all other popular types.
You can learn everything you need to about Winc by reading our in-depth review here.
Explore organic wines by the glassful with Vinebox. It’s the only club out there right now that ships premium wine in vials rather than bottles.
See if Vinebox is the club for you here.
Enjoy your favorite organic creations along with expert curations with a Wine of the Month Club membership.
Get the full picture of this wine club in our review.
Plonk only does natural wines, so it’s one of the best options when it comes to organic variety and expert in-house knowledge.
Learn what our thoughts are on this natural wine provider here.
Dry Farm Wines puts its focus on low-carb wines and handpicks the wineries that support this message.
Interested? You can find out more in our review.
It doesn’t get much more organic than vegan. Vegan Wines has a huge selection of organic wines for lovers of whites, reds, and roses.
See what our expert reviewer thought about Vegan Wines when they tried this club for themselves.
Wine Insiders has a great selection of organic wines, and what makes it stand out is that you can order individual bottles too; perfect if you’ve found your favorites.
Discover all that’s on offer and what our thoughts are on this club in our review.
Though wine might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of WSJ, some of the most well-known organic wines are available here with VIP memberships.
Get more information WSJ Wine by having a read of our in-depth analysis.
If you’re looking to dip your toe into the waters of wine clubs, Laithwaites is a great choice. First orders are well discounted and there’s a great selection of organic wines here too.
See if Laithwaites is right for you here.
News first and then wine, or the other way around? Either way, NPR’s wine club is a steady choice for anyone who wants to explore the flavors of organic winemaking.
Learn about pricing, variety, and much more in our review.
Organic wines are made from grapes grown using techniques that are pure and protect the ecosystem around the vineyard. For a wine to be labeled ‘certified organic’, it can’t have any added sulfites or non-organic elements included in the winemaking process.
It’s important to note that just because a wine is organic it doesn’t mean that there are no additives involved. Yeast, egg whites, and animal enzymes are allowed to be added. Yes, this means that wines are rarely vegan.
Biodynamic winemaking is an agricultural practice that dates back nearly a century. Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner founded the method in the 1920s and it revolves around a complex astrological calendar.
Each day of the farming process coincides with one of the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. The days are organized into fruit days, root days, leaf days, and flower days. Fruit days are preferable for grape harvesting, root days for pruning, and leaf days for watering. On flower days, the vineyard is left untouched.
Depending on where you are in the world, there are different categories of organic wine. In the United States, there are two different categories; those that are certified by the USDA and those made with organic grapes.
Wines that are USDA certified follow strict regulations. The grapes must be grown without any use of synthetic fertilizers, and all ingredients included must also be certified organic. There are no sulfites allowed to be added. You can identify these bottles by a USDA seal.
For a wine to have a label with the phrase ‘made with organic grapes’, the additional products don’t have to be natural, but the grapes must be produced without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. The wine must be bottled in an organic facility, and the sulfites must be limited to 100 parts per million or less.
Canadian standards resemble those in the US, though more sulfites could be added to extend shelf-life. In Europe, winemakers were allowed to label bottles as “organic wine” starting in 2012. The difference between these wines and those produced in the US is that there are more sulfites allowed.
If you’ve ever been searching for this type of wine, you’ve probably noticed two standard labels. Some wines are ‘organic’, and others have a say on the bottle that they're ‘made with organically grown grapes’.
If the latter is the case, it means that there were no pesticides or synthetics used in the vineyard for producing the grapes. That said, additives like sulfates may have been included in the winemaking process.
For a wine to be certified, it must not only be made of organic grapes, but it also has to be free of any added sulfites or non-organic elements.
Sulfates, otherwise known as Sulfur Dioxide or SO2, are used in many products that we regularly consume. The purpose of sulfites is to prevent spoilage and browning. Many conventional wines contain added sulfites, especially wines that are imported from great distances.
A common misconception is that there’s such a thing as sulfite-free wine. In reality, sulfites are a naturally occurring by-product of fermenting grapes. They occur in low amounts during the process, but some winemakers add synthetic sulfites to retain flavor, extend shelf-life, and control bacteria.
Sulfites are also blamed for the headaches that some people get after drinking wine, though there’s no scientific evidence to back up this connection. Dried fruits and juices have much more sulfites than any wine. However, for wine to be certified, it can’t contain any added sulfites.
Since the standards vary depending on where it’s coming from, it can be hard to identify precisely how natural your ‘organic wine’ is. European and Canadian wines may have more sulfites than those from the US.
USDA certified organic wines don’t have any sulfates, which reduces its shelf life and can impact flavor.
If a wine isn’t organic, that means that there are various chemicals and additives involved in the production. It’s common for vineyards to use pesticides and fungicides in areas of the world that have a lot of moisture in the air. In the bottling of the wine, it’s typical for winemakers to add elements like sulfur and something called Mega Purple.
Biodynamic wines are typically considered organic because the grapes are grown in a very natural way. These wines don’t incorporate any synthetic chemicals in the winemaking process and no additives are allowed. Sulfites are permitted, so depending on the country, biodynamic wines aren’t certified organic.
Buying wine that’s free of harmful ingredients doesn’t mean that you have to settle for a loss in quality. In this section, we’ll list a few of the best organic wine options available today.
If you’re a fan of bubbly, you must try the Robert Barbichon Réserve 4 Cépages Brut Champagne 2017. This champagne is composed of 4 varietals, which is pretty rare. It’s made of 70% Pinot Noir, 10% Pinot Meunier, 10% chardonnay, and 10% Pinot Blanc. It’s dry, fresh, fruity, and sophisticated but juicy.
The 2018 Badger Mountain Riesling is at the top of our list for best organic white wine. It’s packed with exotic aromas of kiwi, lemongrass, and lime. It’s both deliciously crisp and perfectly acidic.
Our favorite versatile organic red wine is from the vineyard of Domaine Bousquet. The 2018 Virgen Organic Red Blend is fully USDA certified. It’s a mix of 35% Malbec, 35% Pinot Noir, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s very flavorful, and you can taste the pure expression of the foothills of the Andes, where this wine is made.
Many eco-friendly wine drinkers prefer to drink from the box, as it produces the lowest amount of greenhouse gas emissions and solid waste. Our favorite is From the Tank’s Vin Blanc. This 100% organic chardonnay is easy to drink and juicy.
