organic wines

what they are, where to find them, and more about wine

More than many other agricultural products, wines are sensitive to the land. It only makes sense, then, that a serious winemaker will take special care of that land. This is one reason why the organic wine industry is growing at a pace of some 20% a year. Wineries themselves benefit from using sustainable winemaking practices.

What are organic wines?

In general, "organic" applies to wine the same way it applies to any other agricultural product. The land must be free of pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers for at least three years. Organic winemakers generally plant cover crops, rather than using herbicides, choose natural fertilizers (such as manure) over chemical ones, and encourage natural insect predators to keep pests under control rather than spraying with pesticides. All of this contributes to healthier soil that is more productive over the long term and a cleaner, chemical-free product.

What about sulfites in organic wine?

Be careful not to confuse "organic" with "sulfite-free." Sulfites occur naturally in wine. As yeasts ferment on grape skins, they generate sulfites ranging from 6 to 40 ppm (parts per million,) They help preserve the wine, inhibiting the growth of bacteria, preventing oxidation (which discolors the wine,) and ultimately keeps it drinkable longer. So even organic farmers generally add small amounts of sulfites to their wines.

Red wines generally have less sulfites than white. Red wines are fermented with the skins, producing tannin which is itself a preservative. White wines, having less tannin, need more sulfites. However, it's likely that organic wines have lower sulfite levels than conventional wines.

USDA requirements dictate that the sulfite content of organic wines be no more than 100ppm (parts per million), while this can reach 350ppm in conventional wines. Wines with sulfite levels of less than 10ppm are allowed to call themselves sulfite-free, but it's possible to have a sulfite-free wine from conventionally-farmed grapes. For more information, read our article here.

Is organic wine the same as vegan wine?

No. The grapes themselves are vegan, of course. It's the fining process. "Fining," or "filtering," is the process of clarifying the wine after fermentation, removing any grape skins, stems, or other solid matter, as well as yeast cells which may leave the wine cloudy. The most effective fining method is to add an "agent" that spreads out and settles, with the solids, to the bottom, leaving the filtered wine at the top. Agents used in fining can include:

• gelatins (made from bones and hooves)
• isinglass (a type of gelatin made from the air bladders of fish)
• egg albumin (egg whites)
• chitosan (from crustacean shells)
• casein and potassium caseinate (milk proteins)

Vegan wines aren't necessarily organic (though they often are), and you shouldn't assume that organic wines are vegan.

There are also vegetarian wines, which may use animal products that did not require that the animal be killed. You can find much more information on vegan and vegetarian wines here.