What is organic wine?
Sustainability: a huge, catch-all term – and one that is increasingly in the spotlight. But what do wine producers really mean when they say they are “sustainable”? And what are the key elements that you, as a consumer, need to be aware of?
The world of wine is infamously difficult to navigate. Labels can help, to some degree. They may give us an idea of what we can expect from a certain wine – and certainly when it comes to sustainability, they can help us make more informed choices as consumers.
There are many levels to sustainability – from the official certifications of organic and biodynamic winemaking, to the more nebulous category of “natural wine”. Below, we break down these three key terms a little further, to give you an idea of what each category encompasses.
What is organic wine?
In a nutshell, these are wines made from grapes that have been officially certified organic by a recognized authority. To be successfully certified, organic winemakers must meet a set of criteria:
Use no pesticides, fungicides, insecticides or chemical fertilizers in the vineyard.
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Use no more than 0.1g of sulfite per liter for red wine and 0.15g per liter for white wine during the fermentation process.
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Use no genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the winemaking process, which includes commercial yeasts.
In addition to this, winemakers must take extra measures to promote soil health, only utilizing natural pest control where necessary and promoting biodiversity. Organic winemakers tend to take a minimal intervention approach in the winery too, avoiding the use of chemical additives. Organic wines will bear a label telling you the wine has been certified, but this doesn’t necessarily give you the full picture. Many winemakers will be utilizing organic practices, but may not be certified, as the process is lengthy and bureaucratic.
What is biodynamic wine?
From organic wine, we take one step further into the world of biodynamics. In essence, biodynamic winemakers follow the principles set out by Rudolf Steiner in 1924, who believed that a holistic approach to agriculture would produce the best results – both in terms of soil health and quality of produce.
Biodynamics takes the principles set out in organic winemaking – no pesticides, no chemicals – and marries them with a spiritual element. Fundamentally, biodynamic practices are rooted in soil health, with the belief that any nutrients that are removed from the soil during grape-growing must be returned. There are various ways in which this might happen: burying cows’ horns in the vineyard; fermenting flower heads in stags’ bladders; adding oak bark to the compost heap; spraying the vines with ground-up quartz.
Copper and sulfur sprays may be used to protect against fungal attacks, but the quantities allowed are limited. Water plays a significant role and must be “dynamized” before it is used – a stirring ritual that imbues the water with a special energy – and producers may differ on whether they follow the lunar calendar to plant, prune and harvest their vines.
Like organic wine, a winemaker must meet a stringent set of criteria to be certified biodynamic – usually by organisations such as Demeter or Biodyvin. Many winemakers might follow biodynamic principles steadfastly – and due to the spiritual component, it has some ardent followers – but may not be certified.
What is natural wine?
This is where things get a little murkier. Unlike with organic or biodynamic wine, there is no official certification for “natural wine”. This makes it a broad church, encompassing winemakers who may be certified organic or biodynamic; those who follow the principles of such categories, but may not be certified; and winemakers who may follow their own set of sustainability-focused approaches, to varying degrees.
In general, the idea of natural wine is rooted in the following principles:
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A minimal-interventionist approach in the vineyard. Not using any chemical products, promoting soil health and biodiversity.
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A minimal-interventionist approach in the winery. Not using any GMOs or additives, with limited use of sulfites. A focus on a “pure” or “unadulterated” expression of the terroir.
It is important to note that, given the lack of official certification, there is not an exact definition of what a “natural wine” should consist of. It can take many guises, from stereotypically “natty” expressions – think rustic, cloudy and a little funky – to some of the world’s finest and most ageworthy wines. In this case, it is important to look beyond the label and assess the wine – and the story behind it – on its own merits.