Today we are going to talk about the growing world of Organic Wines. Together, we will find out the difference between organic and certified organic and how to tell the difference. We will also explore the benefits of drinking organic wine.
Let’s begin at the beginning, it seems like a good place to start.
What makes a wine organic? Wine in this category can either be labeled as either Certified Organic or “made with organically grown grapes”. So what is the difference? Vineyards that produce certified organic grapes cannot use toxic pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers to grow grapes. Wine labeled as “made with organically grown grapes”, must use a minimum of 70 percent organic grapes and can be made in the same facility as conventional wine, and may also contain added sulphur dioxide.
If you think about it, farming organically isn’t a new thing, it is actually a very old process. Wine production is over 8,000 years old, fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides are not!
Certified organic vineyards use methods of years gone by to keep their vines safe and productive, including the use of compost, green manure, and cover crops. What is a cover crop you ask? Cover crops are planted between the rows of vines and can include grasses, legumes, or brassicas. Cover crops reduce soil erosion and over time they increase the organic matter within the soil, which improves the overall stability of the ground. Climbing cutworms can be an issue at vineyards, chickens are deployed to graze under the vines to control these nasty little pests.
So now we know how organic grapes are grown and cared for, but how can we tell if the wine is truly organic? We need to look for a symbol or two. Each wine producing area has a certified organic symbol, below are the most common symbols found in our store.
Now on to the benefits of choosing organic wine. While researching this article benefits of going organic seemed endless, but instead of boring you by rambling on and on, I will highlight three. The first one is the most obvious, farming without chemicals is simply better for the environment and the grapes. Chemicals not only leach into the soil but also the grape.
Reason number two reduced sulphur dioxide! Sulphur dioxide occurs naturally in wine and works as a preservative and anti-bacterial agent. Conventional winemakers can add additional sulphites to the wine, which organic winemakers cannot. Many of us (myself included) react negatively to sulphites. These reactions, such as your face going completely red or suffering from a hangover could be reduced by drinking certified organic wine.
Reduced sugar is the third reason for selecting an organic wine. Grapes, like all fruit, naturally contain sugar, but some conventional winemakers add more sugar to bolster the wine’s flavor. If sugar reduction is important to you, go organic!
Please ask our staff to see our selection of organic wines.