Our Green Book readers are likely wine enthusiasts and increasingly concerned about the environment and their health. We hope the following information is helpful in eradicating the errors in organic wine reporting. Following the creation by the USDA of NOP (National Organic Program), an organic wine is defined as “a wine made from organically grown grapes without any added sulfites”. By this unfortunate restriction, the vast majority of what you and I have been calling organic wines can now only be referred to as “wines made from organic grapes” (or organically grown grapes), since they are allowed to contain up to 100 ppm of added sulfites.
While we support the efforts of the few winemakers who explore avenues to eliminate the use of sulfur dioxide, the truth is that wines without added sulfites are very few in number and very unstable in quality, giving the public a negative perception of Organic Wines in general (Organically Grown I mean!)! The wine industry has the dubious honor of being the only one that cannot call its product “organic” even though it is made with more than 95% of organic components. [Even with 100ppm SO2 present in the wine, the highest permissible level, the product is still 99.99% organic!].
This is detrimental to the winegrowers who seek to market a consistently drinkable product and yet are discriminated against in a really unique way. It is also an annoyance for consumers and merchants alike who do not need more categories to confuse them! Moreover, note that a wine without sulfites should not be equated with an organic wine, since it is quite possible to make a sulfite-free wine with conventional (non organic) grapes.
The excessive attention given to this matter is perfect to distract the public from much more important issues like soil depletion and erosion, water pollution, loss of biodiversity, ecological impact, resistance to pests, chemical dependence, and product standardization to name just a few which plague the conventional way to produce grapes and other agricultural products!
An independent body of certification, itself duly accredited by the USDA, has the responsibility to control each winegrower, once or twice a year, to verify his or her adherence to the standards applied to organic farming, now recognized internationally. The fundamental idea behind organic wine is that making wine from grapes grown without chemical fertilizers, weed killers, insecticides, and other synthetic chemicals is better both for the planet AND for the wine drinker because all of these things can damage the soil and the plant, and can end up in the wine as residues.
Since the NOP standards are essentially derived from the ones already in existence in European countries we have not insisted to add this layer of administration to our already busy producers. It increases their costs and ultimately the price we and you pay without any visible benefit. The real issue though is that NOP forbids the winemaker to state that their wines are certified by their own system (in place for 30 years!) which is a clear abuse of power!
How do Organic Wines taste as compared to Conventional Wines?
Nowadays, French organic wines show up consistently among the top ten best wines of any region where they are represented, being cited in magazines as the most innovative, interesting and personalised products around. Surprisingly though, due to a relative lack of public awareness and trade recognition, this quality does not come at a big premium, compared to everything labeled “organic” nowadays!
One theory for this outstanding quality is that organic vineyards have more natural resistance to poor weather or pestilence, and therefore tend to perform better in poor vintages than non-organic ones. Additionally, many organic vineyards hand pick their grapes, rather than using mechanical pickers. This allows only the ripest and healthiest bunches to be picked, with the minimum amount of stress/damage to the vine, fruit or soil.
Organic vineyards choose organic methods to obtain the strongest and richest grapes possible, with the fewest detrimental effects on the environment, and their wines reflect that dedication to quality.
Organic Wines: Why Should You Care?
Our Green Book has received an increasing number of requests for information about organic wines. These requests emanate both from the public and the media. Questions we answer at events etc, we are asked over and over again, “What is an organic wine?” and “Why should consumers care about organic wines?” We are truly delighted with this steadily growing interest in what we do and why we do it, and therefore it is with much pleasure that we update you as to the status of organic wines, legal and otherwise.
For starters, what do we mean by Organic Wine? First and foremost, it’s a wine made from certified organically grown grapes. The fundamental idea behind organic wine is that making wine from grapes grown without pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers is clearly better for our planet AND therefore, in all likelihood, better for you, the wine drinker.
Now let’s turn to the second question that we are perennially asked: “Why should consumers care about & choose organic wines?” Well, let’s take a look at the alternative. Conventional wines are the result of conventional agricultural practices. These were adopted in large part after WWII and rely heavily on chemicals. The problem with that approach is that these chemicals damage the soil, the vine, the air, the water, the farmers, and, in all likelihood, all of us down the road. Not only that, this approach triggers a destructive cycle of poisoning. Pesticides, herbicides and fungicides throw the natural harmony of the vineyard completely off balance. Chemical fertilizers strip the soil of minerals essential to its health, thus necessitating an ever-increasing reliance on artificial inputs to restore what has been lost without ever finding the natural balance again.
There is an enormous amount of scientific evidence documenting how pesticides, weed killers, fungicides and other chemical substances damage the soil and the plant, its fruits and everyone else in their path. Grapes are no exception and wine is merely liquid grapes. Make no mistake, grapes are one of the most heavily sprayed crops around.
Thankfully, there is the long term approach, namely, organic farming (mind you, the term “sustainable” has been hijacked by people eager to do something for the environment but not necessarily following sustainable principles). There is absolutely no question that organic farming methods are better for the Earth and all of her inhabitants. They are based on traditional, common sense farming methods which are not harmful to people or the environment. Like the Chinese acupuncturist, the organic farmer’s primary objective is balance. Therefore the key to the success of organic farming is maintaining a balanced, fertile soil.
Let’s briefly review some of the organic techniques & tools. Instead of chemical fertilizers, winemakers spread manure or algae in the vineyards. Instead of spraying pesticides, promoting biodiversity. That means they grow plants other than vines in and around the vineyard. Why? Because biodiversity helps regulate the vineyard soil by attracting beneficial flora and fauna into the vineyards, such as insects, spiders and predatory mites. Cover crops provide shelter and food (pollen, nectar) to “beneficial bugs” which decreases/replaces the need for insecticides or pesticides.
What cannot be fully controlled through biodiversity can still be managed organically, through the use of naturally occurring plant or mineral extracts, which leave no residues in the soil. As for weeds, they are allowed to grow, and mow periodically so that the cut weeds decompose back into the ground, thus providing organic fertilizer. In our opinion the costs are more than worth the outcome by any measure you want to use. And the reliance on petroleum derivatives has been largely proven to be a recipe for disaster in the long term!
All right, all right, you say! Organic viticulture is better for the Earth and probably for me, but are the wines any good? That’s what I want to know! Well, what would be the point of producing something, organic or otherwise, that no one can drink? Relax, nowadays organic wines as a big family stand consistently above their conventional counterparts in terms of flavor and taste, and are as reasonable in price and varied in styles. In many instances they reach to the top like the world renowned Romanée-Conti, organically grown for decades already, and La Coulée de Serrant, an exceptional biodynamic white wine, a stunning experience! All in all, wines made from organically grown grapes taste more flavorful and “cleaner”. That is our perception and the feedback we regularly receive from folks with or without a great wine knowledge. Consumers AND critics are more and more agreeing that they do taste and feel better.
In short, why do we encourage you to choose organic wines? Well, first because they are very good, second because we feel they should become the norm instead of the alternative, and because when you choose them you help us break the “circle of poison.” There is absolutely no question that organic agriculture is the way OF the future and the way TO our future, therefore we should all support it wherever and whenever we can!
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Our President, Fred Delshad, recently stumbled upon a great website while searching for an eco-friendly collar for his mini Doberman, Lucy. He scored a bamboo fiber dog collar from Puplife.com, a one-stop shop for anyone who loves their planet as much as they love their dog. Puplife.com was started by dog lovers Eric Houtkooper and Leslie Hayes-Houtkooper when they began looking for eco-friendly, organic and natural products for their black lab, Daisy. “It was really frustrating because we found we had to order products from five or six different places,” Houtkooper recalled. “That’s when we got the idea to create an online store that would only sell the very best, high-end products that were as good for a dog as it was for the environment.”
