What is organic wine and is organic wine better for you?
Organic vineyards, Oxney Organic Estate, UK
Organic wines are continuing to grow in popularity as we learn more about the benefits of consuming organic food and drink and we are willing to pay a bit more for it.
In the UK, 2020 was a big year for ‘organic’, with sales surging ahead across all organic products by 12.6% and sales of organic wines and drinks outperforming other sectors (Soil association organic market report 2021). This is possibly to be expected in the time of a global pandemic, with many people looking more for transparency, authenticity, health assurances and of course quality. The associated shift to online shopping and more local shopping from independent stores has also influenced increased sales of organic wine.
Whatever the reason, an increased demand for organic wines, which are perceived as healthier for us, seems set to continue beyond the immediate impact of the pandemic.
So let’s take a closer look at what ‘organic’ wine actually is, how organic wine differs from normal wine and actually if organic wine is better for you..
What is the difference between organic and normal wine?
At its most basic, organic wine is made from grapes grown free from man-made chemicals. Grapes grown organically tend to be smaller than those that have been treated with chemicals, thus producing less wine and leading to a more expensive end product – but the quality of the fruit is much higher. Simply put, a higher quality grape is going to make a higher quality wine.
Organic grapes flourishing in the Mediterranean sun - Château Mourgues du Grès, Southern Rhône, France
Organic wine made from organically farmed grapes
Grape farming (viticulture), is where the organic wine movement started, with the requirement that the wine grapes must be grown without the use of artificial fertilisers, chemical herbicides, synthetic insecticides, pesticides or fungicides and genetically modified products.
Organic viticulture - it’s all about the soil and insects!
At the heart of organic farming is the requirement to consider the soil and what lives within it – to protect and nurture the soil to encourage biodiversity and promote life.
Essentially, by farming organically the farmer allows nature to develop fertile soil naturally, in order to produce better plants and grapes. It is insect life within the soil that helps contribute to the soil’s ‘humus’ content and its fertility. Humus is dark, organic material that forms in soil when plant and animal matter decays, producing valuable nutrients needed by plants to grow.
In conventional farming, when low levels of nutrients exist in the soil, chemical fertilisers are added, but this upsets the natural balance within the soil and the vineyard, killing insect life and leading to poor soil fertility. Organic farmers need to deploy clever techniques to encourage insect life in the vineyard, by for example:
growing hedges to create additional habitats and a natural fertiliser from the leaves
growing different plants and crops alongside the vines which not only help improve the soil structure and its ability to retain water and nutrients with the soil, but also help attract predator pests which eat other pests harmful to the vines
removing leaves at the top of the wine to enable more sun and air to reach the fruit, called canopy management (essential in cooler, damp environments)
using natural remedies such as plant and seaweed extracts
Can wine grapes be farmed organically anywhere in the world?
Organic farming can be followed anywhere across the world, however it is easier in warmer, dryer climates where mildew and fungal diseases present less of a challenge. A key barrier to the ability to farm organically is if a neighbouring farm is following conventional methods and spraying plants with chemicals – this is where it can be a challenge for the smaller vineyard.
Organic winemaking – in the cellar
Organic practices go much further than farming in the vineyard and also follow through into the cellar. Until relatively recently, a wine could be labeled ‘organic’ but only in terms of how the grapes were farmed – i.e. it could be labeled ‘wine made from organically grown grapes’. In 2012, the EU passed a new law for organic ‘winemaking’, dictating standards that ban certain treatments (such as decreasing the level of alcohol), ensure additives such as yeast and egg-white are of organic nature and limit the amount of sulphur dioxide or sulphites used, compared to those in conventional winemaking.
Organic Certification
Anyone can practice organic farming, but winemakers need to be ‘certified’ in order to label their wines as organic. For a wine estate to call itself organic, it must follow the letter of both organic viticulture and winemaking law.
Many different certifications exist around the world. In EU countries, specific companies are authorised to issue certificates, control and inspect vineyards for ‘organic’ compliance. The main certifying body is Ecocert and others include Ecovin, Bioland and in the UK, the Soil Association.
Not all winemakers choose to pursue certification however. This may be due to the costs and work involved in the certification process, but often because being organic presents them with less flexibility and potentially more commercial risk. For example, in a challenging year, there is no option to resort to adding chemicals to supplement the process where nature has struggled and no option to add extra sulphur to ensure the wine is preserved for longer.
This is all about choice – choice of the winemaker as to his/her priorities and your choice about what you put in your body.
So the message is – if you want to eat and drink organic - look carefully at the label!
Is organic wine better for you?
The benefits of choosing an organic certified wine are many – here are the main ones!
Organic wine tastes better!
It may sound odd to include this as a benefit and everyone’s ‘taste’ in wine is different of course, however if the grapes which form the basis of the wine are farmed totally naturally and are of supreme quality, then it goes without saying the end product is going to taste better. The actual taste is also influenced by the lack of chemicals and additives in the winemaking process.
Organic wine is better for you!
The benefits of ingesting fewer chemicals and man-made toxins are clear to see, with plenty of evidence linked to diseases such as cancer, nervous system conditions and also fertility.
Is organic wine sulphite-free wine and does it still give you a hangover?
Organic wine is also better for those who suffer from allergies and sensitivities and those with conditions such as asthma, due to the lower levels of sulphur dioxide permitted to aid the winemaking process.
Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) is the most widely used and controversial additive in winemaking and is incorporated to kill off unwanted bacteria, yeasts and moulds, and as an antioxidant to prevent oxygen spoiling the wine. Unfortunately an increasing number of people are found to be sensitive to sulphur, or have allergic reactions to it, including headaches, wheeziness, and therefore prefer (understandably) to avoid it.
Organic wine may indeed reduce the impact of a hangover - but the best approach is probably to avoid drinking too much!!!
Organic wines have lower levels of sulphur, but if you wish to minimise further then look for a wine specifically marked ‘low/no sulphur’. The permitted maximum for organic red wine is 100mg/litre as opposed to 150mg/litre for conventionally made red wines, whilst for organic white it’s no more than 150mg/litre (compared to 200mg/litre for conventional wines).
Is organic wine vegetarian or vegan?
No, not necessarily - Some animal based products can be used in winemaking to clarify the wine (for example animal gelatin, egg whites or casein (milk based)). If you wish to avoid such products look out for wines that have been certified as Vegetarian or Vegan. Vegan wine is therefore often ‘unfined’ or ‘unclarified’ and left to clear naturally - by gravity or helped by the application of a non-animal-based, natural product.
Organic wine is also better for the environment!
By drinking ‘organic’ you are also helping support a cleaner, healthier environment and helping protect the soil and land for generations to come.
Organic farming also leads to more carbon returning to the soils, which can directly impact climate change and mitigate the threats of global warming and increase biodiversity and productivity.
-And better for the wine industry
We like to support the many small, craft, artisan winemakers who believe passionately in making the best wines they can produce, using sustainable farming and winemaking practices. Overall it has to be better for the industry, to be able to introduce these wines to consumers, to help raise quality and standards across the industry.
Where can I buy organic wines?
All general wine retailers and supermarkets now stock a significant - and growing - range of organic wines. The Wine Society and Waitrose have particularly good organic wine ranges. There are also a growing number of independent organic wine specialist companies. We are impressed by Vintage Roots and Honest Grapes in the UK.
Conclusion
The benefits of organic viticulture and farming are clear.
Improved soil structure and health enables the soil to better retain water and nutrients, which in turn aids healthy plant growth, disease resistance and ultimately leads to improved wine quality.
Organic wines are better for you, better for the environment and better for the industry. However for many winemakers it isn’t easy or commercially viable to achieve - and for many wine consumers, paying a small organic price premium may not always be justifiable.
Personally, we try to do a bit more each day to help protect the environment and try to make healthier choices in terms of what we eat and drink. Wine is certainly included in this approach. We would always advocate paying a bit more for quality and aiming to reduce the quantity!
