Organic Wineries

All things “Organic” has become the rage lately. The “Organic” market is getting bigger and bigger everyday. It is not just for hippies any more! People are becoming more aware of what they are putting in their bodies and they are trying to avoid chemicals, preservatives or additives, and pesticides. This is also spilling over into the wine industry. There are more and more “Organic” wineries these days. I wanted to learn for myself what makes a winery “Organic”, and I thought I would share my research with you.

What is “Organic” Wine? – “Organic” wine is made from grapes that have been grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.

What makes a winery “Organic”? – The wine making techniques for an “Organic” winery need to have no manipulation of the wines by reverse osmosis, excessive filtration or flavor additives (such as oak chips), the use of wild yeasts for fermentation and the local restrictions are meet to be considered “Organic”. Different countries and regions have different restrictions to be considered “organic”. So what’s organic in one country may not be so in another.

What about Sulfites? The use of added sulfites is debated heavily within the organic winemaking community. Many vintners favor the use, in extremely small quantities, to help stabilize wines, while other frown on it completely. In the US, wines labeled “organic” cannot contain added sulfites. Wines that do have added sulfites, but are otherwise “organic” are labeled “wine made from organic grapes.”

How do “Organic” wineries fight insects and other enemies without pesticides or herbicides? Organic farmers promote “biodiversity” and allow plants other than grape vines to grow in and around the vineyard. “Biodiversity” regulates the soil by attracting beneficial insects, spiders, and predatory mites and providing shelter and food and replaces the need to chemical pesticides or insecticides.

How do “Organic” wines tastes compared to non “Organic” wines? Well, it really comes down to the wine and the winery. I have tasted some very good “organic” wines. But on the flip side, I have tasted some not so good “organic” wines. You can’t make a blanket statement and say that all “organic” wines are great or horrible. Just as you can say that all wines that are not “organic” are great. What you can say about “organic” wineries is that they are getting back to the basic form of wine making. More and more wineries are making the change to be totally “organic” or partially “organic”. The partially “organic” ones tend to grow the grapes organically but then use technology in the fermentation process.

Here are a few of the “organic” wines that I have had and overall they were pretty good. I will say that most of these wines do have a slightly different taste to them on the first sip and tend to have a more of an earthy smell to them. That must be due to the natural fertilizers they use!

Preston of Dry Creek (California)
Bonterra Vineyards (California)
Robert Sinskey Vineyards (California)
Frog’s Leap (California)
Helena View (California)
Quivira Vineyards (California)
Richmond Plains (New Zealand)

Pick up an “Organic” wine and see for yourself. Who knows, you just might fall in love with it!

Cheers!