If you are an avid wine drinker and have been caught up in the organic craze, you would probably have encountered some confusion in buying organic wine. You are probably asking yourself what a truly ‘organic wine’ is and how this is different from ‘wine made from organic grapes.’ Who gives these labels and who determines if a wine is organic or just made from organic grapes? To help you answer these questions, I have prepared an article on organic wines.
First off, just to clear the confusion, there are generally different standards that various governments use in defining what an ‘organic wine’ truly is. It has been a widely accepted definition that organic wines are those wines that are made from grapes that have been organically grown. This means that the grapes that are being used in making organic wine have been grown by using only natural fertilizers and not by using any chemicals, pesticides, artificial fertilizers and the like.
Instead of relying on chemicals to help the grapes grow and to protect the grapes from insects and other harmful elements, organic grapes growers use only natural methods in protecting and keeping their grapes healthy. For example, instead of using different kinds of fertilizers, an organic grape farmer would use natural fertilizer, like animal manure, in keeping their grapes healthy. Instead of insecticides they would use ways to attract friendly insects and worms to kill those insects and organisms that are harmful for the grapes. Rather than using herbicides, organic farmers purposely plant other plants.
The key is to make the soil biologically diverse, with different organisms that are naturally good for the grapes. Now you know what organic wine is, you ask what are ‘wines made from organic grapes’? Aren’t they the same? The short answer is, no, they aren’t.
In the United States it is the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that is in-charge of regulating organic food and organic products. The USDA also established the National Organics Standards Board (NOSB) to help them in this daunting task. Since wines are involved in the organics issue, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is involved. The National Organic Program (NOP) also became a part of USDA and its primary objective was to create a uniform guideline in labeling organic products. According to the NOP and USDA there are currently four categories of organic wine: the 100% Organic, Organic, Made with Organic Ingredients and Some Organic Ingredients.
The confusion arises on what is Organic and what is Made from Organic Ingredients. To be considered Organic, the wine must have less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of sulfites. Sulfite or sulfur dioxide is a preservative for wines. Debates are on-going on the exact effect of sulfites in the body. What is clear is that the wine will be considered 100% Organic or Organic if it is sulfite free or has no added sulfites (other than the naturally occurring sulfites). Other wines that have more than 10 ppm of sulfites must declare that it ‘contains sulfites.’ Wines that have more than 20 ppm of sulfites and are organically made can only be categorized as Made from Organic Ingredients or Some Organic Ingredients.
So you see, you can have a totally organic wine that is made from organic ingredients and organic processes but still be considered not 100% organic because of added sulfites.
