Chances are, you probably love cheese and wine tasting in Sarasota. As people focus more on eating healthy they are becoming accustomed to looking for labels that feature organically produced foods. This is a good idea. You don’t have to look hard these days to find the plethora of medical and dietary experts who warn of the dangers of the American food system.
Organic food production has become popular promising healthier, more naturally produced foods. According to Wikipedia’s general definition organic food is “… produced by practices that strive to cycle resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Organizations regulating organic products may restrict the use of certain pesticides and fertilizers in farming. In general, organic foods are also usually not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents or synthetic food additives”
So too it is with organic wine production. Organic wine is made from grapes grown in accordance with the principles of organic farming, which typically exclude the use of artificial chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.
However, wine production is composed of two phases – 1. Growing the grapes and, 2. Winery activities (fermentation, bottling etc.). The definition of organic wine covers farming activities but not necessarily production methods. The most popular wine preservative is sulfur dioxide. And the use of sulfur is a key in the discussion of organic wine.
The issue of sulfur and sulfites (not exactly the same as sulfur dioxide), a substance that naturally occurs in some foods and the human body, in wine preservation is central to the discussion of how organic wine is defined.
Many wines, mostly red, mature and improve over time as their molecules are more integrated and balanced. As a result, these wines are traditionally produced using processes that anticipate aging in the bottle. This causes many vintners to favor the use of additional sulfites to stabilize the wine. However, the only effective preservatives that allow wines to stabilize overr a long period are ‘non-organic’. While there are a growing number of producers making wine without added preservatives, it is generally acknowledged that these wines are for consumption within a few years of bottling.
There are a variety of legal definitions for organic wine. All address the key issue of the use of preservatives. In some Old World wine growing regions, like Europe, wine cannot legally be labelled as ‘organic’. To clarify, wines that have added sulfites, but are otherwise organic, are labeled “wine made from organic grapes.” But here in the United States, wines certified to be “organic” cannot contain added sulfites.
Worldwide, organic certification of wine is complicated, with various international regions having unique criteria. Here in the United States the National Organic Program, run by the Department of Agriculture, sets the standards for certification of organic foods, including organic wines.
But that’s not the end of it.
In wine there is an even higher level of organic wine production known as biodynamic. This process employs methods relating to both the farming and post-harvest production. Biodynamic wine production uses organic farming methods (i.e. employing compost as fertilizer and avoiding most pesticides) while also employing soil supplements, following a planting calendar that depends upon astronomical configurations, and treating the earth as “a living and receptive organism. Biodynamic agriculture is based on principles established by Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925), whose work predates the organic movement emphasizing spiritual and mystical elements. Biodynamics aims at ecological self-sufficiency.
Many of America’s top wine producers have embraced both organic and/or biodynamic wine production – but do not necessarily advertise it for fear that being classified as such would reduce the image of the quality of their wines in the marketplace. Unfortunately, most wines classified as organic have garnered a reputation for being less flavorful and exciting.
Unknown to many Americans is a growing group of American winemakers utilizing organic and biodynamic techniques and producing spectacular vintages. The list includes Araujo, Beckman, Bonterra, Bonny Doon, Frey, Frog’s Leap, Grgich Hills, Hedges, Joseph Phelps, Opus One, and Qupe among others. These wines are offered at an array of price points.
If you wish to following organic consumption practices or if you suffer from headaches as a result of drinking red wine, we recommend that you try any of these or any of the many organic and biodynamic wine producers worldwide. Complete lists can be found online.
Cheers.