The organic food debate hit the front pages yet again in the UK last week. Curiously, however organic winemaking doesn't seems to occupy the public's attention. So what is it, where can you get it, and is it better than conventionally made wine?
Oddly perhaps, the term "organic wine" is only legally defined in Australia and America. It's generally used to denote wine made from grapes produced by organic viticulture, without the addition of sulfur dioxide during the winemaking process.
To further confuse matters, the Australians and the Americans differentiate between "wine made from organically grown grapes", to which sulfur has been added, and "organic" wine, to which no sulfur has been added. In these countries less than 1% of wine produced from organic grapes is labelled as organic wine (as not adding sulfur to the wine leads to bacterial spoilage problems).
Organic viticulture shuns man made compounds such as fertilizer, fungicides, and pesticides, as well as anything that has been genetically modified. Organic viticulture is all about prevention, rather than cure.
In many parts of the world, organic winemaking is difficult, being expensive, time consuming, and labour intensive. The process can mean huge loses for certain winemakers - in cooler, wetter regions like the UK, Austria and Germany, organic winemakers have been known to lose their entire crops.
Warm, dry climates generally do better. The South of France, Spain, Greece, California and Chile are good organic producers. None suffer from the humidity that leads to mildew and rot - the two nightmare afflictions for organic winemakers.
If you've been to a wine tasting, or are the type to read wine labels, you may have come across the word biodynamic, a term closely associated with organic winemaking. Biodynamism has a relatively high profile in the winemaking world as it's practised by some of the world's most respected winemakers. It is perhaps best described as a combination of a strict form of organic viticulture, planning your activities around lunar and cosmic cycles, and applying natural (and very specific) treatments to your vines and wines.
So, in a wine tasting, does organic wine taste better, worse, or the same? Well there are good and bad producers just as in conventional winemaking. If you want to taste organic wine at it's best (or perhaps most real) many recommend it's best to taste from the vat or the barrel at the winery.
Buying organic wines in the UK? We'd recommend Vintage Roots, a great little merchant who've been preaching the organic wine code since 1986, check them out.
Oddly perhaps, the term "organic wine" is only legally defined in Australia and America. It's generally used to denote wine made from grapes produced by organic viticulture, without the addition of sulfur dioxide during the winemaking process.
To further confuse matters, the Australians and the Americans differentiate between "wine made from organically grown grapes", to which sulfur has been added, and "organic" wine, to which no sulfur has been added. In these countries less than 1% of wine produced from organic grapes is labelled as organic wine (as not adding sulfur to the wine leads to bacterial spoilage problems).
Organic viticulture shuns man made compounds such as fertilizer, fungicides, and pesticides, as well as anything that has been genetically modified. Organic viticulture is all about prevention, rather than cure.
In many parts of the world, organic winemaking is difficult, being expensive, time consuming, and labour intensive. The process can mean huge loses for certain winemakers - in cooler, wetter regions like the UK, Austria and Germany, organic winemakers have been known to lose their entire crops.
Warm, dry climates generally do better. The South of France, Spain, Greece, California and Chile are good organic producers. None suffer from the humidity that leads to mildew and rot - the two nightmare afflictions for organic winemakers.
If you've been to a wine tasting, or are the type to read wine labels, you may have come across the word biodynamic, a term closely associated with organic winemaking. Biodynamism has a relatively high profile in the winemaking world as it's practised by some of the world's most respected winemakers. It is perhaps best described as a combination of a strict form of organic viticulture, planning your activities around lunar and cosmic cycles, and applying natural (and very specific) treatments to your vines and wines.
So, in a wine tasting, does organic wine taste better, worse, or the same? Well there are good and bad producers just as in conventional winemaking. If you want to taste organic wine at it's best (or perhaps most real) many recommend it's best to taste from the vat or the barrel at the winery.
Buying organic wines in the UK? We'd recommend Vintage Roots, a great little merchant who've been preaching the organic wine code since 1986, check them out.