What Is Organic Wine?

As part of a culture that has recently become more and more concerned with going "green" it should be obvious why organic products, and organic wines specifically are important to you. It is a simple matter of health; health of your own person and health of the planet around you which will be left for our descendents to live in. The process by which organic wine is made is the epitome of healthy living as it precludes the use insecticides and pesticides. This not only is a healthier wine, but a better quality wine as well.

Definition

Organic wine is by USDA definition a wine that contains a minimum of 95% organically produced ingredients, contains no added sulfites, and has less than 10 parts per million naturally occurring sulfites. There is also the stricter title of "100% organic" which, in addition to the above criteria, must use 100% organically produced ingredients. Finally, there is the less restrictive label of made from organically grown grape . This is the more popular of the three as this particular label only requires the actual grapes to be organically grown and most importantly, loosens the restrictions on sulfites allowing for added sulfites of up to 100 parts per million (most standard wine has between 25ppm - 150ppm with the legal limit at 350ppm). The addition of sulfites is important as it prevents the yeasts added to the wine in the wine making process to continue fermenting after it has been bottled. The sulfites basically act as a stabilizer so the wine can be shipped across the country and stored without potentially going bad. Without it, the wine is limited to a short distribution and "expiration date".

Methods

The methods used to make organic wine are basically strategies to create the same healthy growing environment for the grapes by natural means as strategies involving chemicals. Biodiversity is one way of doing this. By planting complementary crops in between the primary crop cycles, the soil is replenished with lost nutrients and maintains it's natural health. Bio-degradable sprays are used which are not retained by the soil and ultimately the wine itself as regular chemical sprays are. Growers also use natural methods such as releasing lady bugs to kill off vine aphids and bird nets in place of chemicals to prevent the birds from eating the grapes just prior to harvest.

Taste

This more natural process of growing the grapes has a positive effect on the resultant wine. The terroir (the term applied to the soil and the characteristics that it brings to the wine) will not have any residual chemicals infecting which will not then carry over into the wine itself. One study, for instance, has shown that out of 35 conventional wines, 4 of these residual chemicals were found. Also, the process of planting complementary crops in between cycles gives the soil more nutrients which, again, enhances the terroir which in turn enhances the wine.

Benefits

The benefits of preferring organic wine over standard wine are that you will not only be healthier in so choosing, but also endorse a healthier environment. For those consumers out there that prioritize immediate satisfaction over all else; the wine also is of a higher quality due to the stricter regulations and manner in which it is made which preserves the grapes' environment.

Whether you are a wine aficionado that wants only the finest wine, an environmentalist concerned with the destruction of the planet, or just someone who wants to make sure what you put into your body is as healthy as possible, organic wine is the right choice as it covers all of these factors. Whichever benefit appeals to you most (if not all), you can consider the others to be icing on the cake.