What Is Organic Wine?

Part of the personal health trend means consuming healthy food and drink. For many this means it's organically grown or raised. Organic wines have gotten lots of media buzz, but what exactly is organic wine?

Definition of organic wine 

First, let's define organic wine because there is some confusion. The U.S. government's definition for labeling as an organic wine means it's made with organically grown grapes, contains only certified organic ingredients, and no added sulfites.

Organically grown grapes

These are grapes cultivated without synthetic fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, and no GMOs. The grapes can still use organic fertilizers and sprays.

This is the basis for a wine label stating Wine Made With Organically Grown Grapes. This is not the same as an organic wine as non-organic ingredients may be used in the production process.

Organic and non-organic ingredients

Various things can be added in the winemaking process to improve the final product. 

Sulfites are sulfur-based inorganic compounds that act as a preservative to prevent oxidation. They are used in many foods and beverages. This is the key additive that keeps many winemakers from making organic wines because they see it as a requirement for making wines of consistent quality. Sulfites get a bad rap due to the warning label on wine bottles as a small percentage of people are allergic. There is zero evidence of it causing headaches.

Dimethyl Dicarbonate is an organic compound used by the food and beverage industries. In wine, it's used to kill bacteria and yeast before bottling. 

The wine can be clarified with fining agents like egg whites or bentonite, a clay compound. There is also Isinglass derived from fish swim bladders that is used to clarify white wines. 

Fermentation aids

Yeast food is added to keep the fermentation going at a healthy pace. It contains vitamins, minerals, and nitrogen.

Pectic Enzymes break down pectins, a soluble fiber in fruits. You might know this as a thickening agent for making jams and jellies. Here it keeps the pectin haze out of your wine. Pectic Enzymes are naturally occurring in plants, bacteria, and fungus.

Other adjustments

There are many other things that may be used to adjust acids, sugar, tannin, color, and flavor. Some are organic, some not. It's a long list, and I'm not going to try to cover everything here.

Challenges with organic wines

Shelf life is the key issue as the wines can oxidize without preservatives. Wine is a living thing, and it changes in the bottle. Those changes aren't always for the best; that's what the winemaker is trying to control. With the lack of preservatives, plus lower intervention winemaking, organic wines can develop off flavors and can have inconsistent quality.

Wines with organically grown grapes and organic wines will cost more to make as they are more labor-intensive, mostly in the vineyard.

As mentioned above, wines labeled as Made With Organically Grown Grapes vs. labeled as Organic Wines confuse people. Adding to the confusion, European rules allow sulfites, something that critical in their wetter climate. So a European organic wine might have to be labeled as made with organic grapes in the U.S. as they don't meet our requirements for organic.  

Sulfites are naturally occurring inorganic compounds found in grapes. The U.S. gov't considers sulfites a synthetic additive, so none can be added. If this rule was changed I think organic wines could be a lot more popular. Many organic wine fans would be against this as they see sulfur as bad, even though it occurs naturally in foods and is even in your body. I'm not pretending to be a biochemist with the right answer, I just have lots of opinions.  😁

Natural wines aren't necessarily organic. Organic wines aren't necessarily okay with the natty crowd as the unregulated definition of natural wines is minimal intervention. Organic requires certification. Natural wines are the Wild West.

Sources:

Wine Maker Mag
Infinita Bio Tech
VinePair
Wine Folly
Bon Appetit 
Wikipedia