With a movement towards natural foods, it is an obvious move for many to seek out organically-produced wines. But are they good? And what does organic in wine really mean anyway?
The answer to the first question is yes! Organic wines can be very good…award-winning even. It’s the bad ones out there that bring down the image…just like bad kosher wines did for their image.
As for what makes them organic? That’s not as straightforward. The use of the term organic is much broader than many think, and sometimes loosely interpreted. First, there are true certified organic vineyards that are tightly regulated by the USDA. They go to a certification agency and abide by specific practices that allow them to label their bottles as organic….including, but not limited to, cutting out the usage of additional sulfites, which retard spoilage.
Unfortunately, this certification often ties the hands of winemakers who are unable to ever experiment with new methods that may not specifically fit in the outlined terms. Costs involved are often more as well since to be certified you need to pay for oversight and certification, as well as the extra cost involved in cultivating and producing your product.
Many winemakers opt to use organic methods, but not get the certification. This way they can keep some costs down while allowing themselves the freedom of change in the future. Some use terms such as “biodynamic” or “sustainable” that often confuse as much as invoke thoughts of a healthier product.
The fact is much of what is done by winemakers and those tending the grapes in the vineyards is organic. The few exceptions, such as the use of certain pesticides or fertilizers, is really the difference between conventional and organically grown.
OK, you are still awake and reading this, so you actually want to know more. Well, let’s break down the winemaking process into two parts, the treatment of the grapes in the vineyards and the making of the wine itself.
Vineyard Management is a Key Component
One of the most important aspects of growing grapes is to achieve the best quality and most abundant crop possible. Insects and other pests can significantly contribute to the demise of a successful growing season. There are two ways to handle this. Use traditional chemical pesticides and fungicides, or find a more natural method. Obviously organic vineyards aren’t spraying Agent Orange all over the fields. So how do they do it?
There are natural minerals and products like boric acid that help control insects, and in many cases vineyards are employing certain bugs to control others.
Ladybugs are a top choice. Tens of thousands of these fruit and vine-friendly guests are released each year into the vineyard to eat the ravenous bugs that devour the vines and fruit. I don’t suggest this method for your home vegetable garden however, since you and your neighbors will be swarmed with the little critters. One is cute, ten thousand in your living room is…well…not.
There are also specially bred wasps that kill specific disease carrying pests that are being used. Again, not a big fan of this one for your tomato garden.
Weeds and rodents are another issue. Often, specific vine-friendly and bug resistant plantings are allowed to grow naturally between the vines so as to choke out weeds and prevent soil erosion. They also help retain moisture in the soil so less watering is needed. Other innovative methods, such as owl boxes, cats or even hawks are employed to keep out voles, mice and other unsavory guests.
Often trial and error, along with some home remedies are used. Tweaking with the methods is a constant activity of the vineyard managers.
Making the wine…and why you want to love sulfites
So the grapes made it to the winery intact. Now they have to be turned into wine. This part is much easier for the organic winemaker, because chemicals, additives and artificial ingredients are not used in wine production anyway. Yeast is used to guide the fermentation process, but it is a natural product and some are even certified organic. The only other big question is sulfites. What are they? Why are they used? And, does it cause headaches and other problems?
Sulfites are simply derivatives of natural sulphur. One of the biggest misnomers is that organic wines do not contain sulfites. Only the USDA certified organic wines are required to not use extra sulfites. Biodynamic or sustainable wines may and usually do use sulfites in winemaking.
Why? Because sulfites act as a natural preservative and help stabilize the wine for aging. They prevent microbial growth and eliminate funky odors that some sulfite-free wines generate. Grapes naturally contain sulfites, so even if the producer did not add extra there is naturally some in the bottle anyway. In addition, sulfites are naturally produced during the fermentation process by the yeast.
Many winemakers do try to limit the amounts they add, and a few even found ways to eliminate the existing sulfites in the wine so they are virtually sulfite-free. This is rare though, and as I mentioned the wines can sometimes have odors or flavors inconsistent from bottle to bottle. If you really want to try a sulfite-free wine, ask a wine merchant if they have one they recommend. There are a few surprisingly decent wines produced this way…most are not.
Now, one of the most asked questions ever! “Why do I get headaches from the sulfites?” The answer is…You probably don’t. Sulfites are not the cause. At least not for most people. They are added in very small amounts -- often equal to 10mg per glass on average. Most people who have issues with headaches tend to experience them predominantly with red wine. The fact is that sulfites are naturally present in red grapes, but in even higher amounts in white grapes. So your headaches should occur more with white wine. The exception is if you are actually allergic to sulfur.
You can test to see if you have a sensitivity to sulfites. Eat a small 2 oz serving of dried apricots. These typically contain 10 times the amount of sulfites in a glass of wine. If these don’t give you a headache then sulfites are definitely not your problem.
The term organic has often had a negative connotation with regards to wine sales, but winemakers are finding they can produce delicious wines that are not affected in anyway from chemicals or man-made fertilizers. It’s time to try some of the fantastic wines out there that just happen to also be organic, er sustainable…uh biodynamic…whatever.
The answer to the first question is yes! Organic wines can be very good…award-winning even. It’s the bad ones out there that bring down the image…just like bad kosher wines did for their image.
As for what makes them organic? That’s not as straightforward. The use of the term organic is much broader than many think, and sometimes loosely interpreted. First, there are true certified organic vineyards that are tightly regulated by the USDA. They go to a certification agency and abide by specific practices that allow them to label their bottles as organic….including, but not limited to, cutting out the usage of additional sulfites, which retard spoilage.
Unfortunately, this certification often ties the hands of winemakers who are unable to ever experiment with new methods that may not specifically fit in the outlined terms. Costs involved are often more as well since to be certified you need to pay for oversight and certification, as well as the extra cost involved in cultivating and producing your product.
Many winemakers opt to use organic methods, but not get the certification. This way they can keep some costs down while allowing themselves the freedom of change in the future. Some use terms such as “biodynamic” or “sustainable” that often confuse as much as invoke thoughts of a healthier product.
The fact is much of what is done by winemakers and those tending the grapes in the vineyards is organic. The few exceptions, such as the use of certain pesticides or fertilizers, is really the difference between conventional and organically grown.
OK, you are still awake and reading this, so you actually want to know more. Well, let’s break down the winemaking process into two parts, the treatment of the grapes in the vineyards and the making of the wine itself.
Vineyard Management is a Key Component
One of the most important aspects of growing grapes is to achieve the best quality and most abundant crop possible. Insects and other pests can significantly contribute to the demise of a successful growing season. There are two ways to handle this. Use traditional chemical pesticides and fungicides, or find a more natural method. Obviously organic vineyards aren’t spraying Agent Orange all over the fields. So how do they do it?
There are natural minerals and products like boric acid that help control insects, and in many cases vineyards are employing certain bugs to control others.
Ladybugs are a top choice. Tens of thousands of these fruit and vine-friendly guests are released each year into the vineyard to eat the ravenous bugs that devour the vines and fruit. I don’t suggest this method for your home vegetable garden however, since you and your neighbors will be swarmed with the little critters. One is cute, ten thousand in your living room is…well…not.
There are also specially bred wasps that kill specific disease carrying pests that are being used. Again, not a big fan of this one for your tomato garden.
Weeds and rodents are another issue. Often, specific vine-friendly and bug resistant plantings are allowed to grow naturally between the vines so as to choke out weeds and prevent soil erosion. They also help retain moisture in the soil so less watering is needed. Other innovative methods, such as owl boxes, cats or even hawks are employed to keep out voles, mice and other unsavory guests.
Often trial and error, along with some home remedies are used. Tweaking with the methods is a constant activity of the vineyard managers.
Making the wine…and why you want to love sulfites
So the grapes made it to the winery intact. Now they have to be turned into wine. This part is much easier for the organic winemaker, because chemicals, additives and artificial ingredients are not used in wine production anyway. Yeast is used to guide the fermentation process, but it is a natural product and some are even certified organic. The only other big question is sulfites. What are they? Why are they used? And, does it cause headaches and other problems?
Sulfites are simply derivatives of natural sulphur. One of the biggest misnomers is that organic wines do not contain sulfites. Only the USDA certified organic wines are required to not use extra sulfites. Biodynamic or sustainable wines may and usually do use sulfites in winemaking.
Why? Because sulfites act as a natural preservative and help stabilize the wine for aging. They prevent microbial growth and eliminate funky odors that some sulfite-free wines generate. Grapes naturally contain sulfites, so even if the producer did not add extra there is naturally some in the bottle anyway. In addition, sulfites are naturally produced during the fermentation process by the yeast.
Many winemakers do try to limit the amounts they add, and a few even found ways to eliminate the existing sulfites in the wine so they are virtually sulfite-free. This is rare though, and as I mentioned the wines can sometimes have odors or flavors inconsistent from bottle to bottle. If you really want to try a sulfite-free wine, ask a wine merchant if they have one they recommend. There are a few surprisingly decent wines produced this way…most are not.
Now, one of the most asked questions ever! “Why do I get headaches from the sulfites?” The answer is…You probably don’t. Sulfites are not the cause. At least not for most people. They are added in very small amounts -- often equal to 10mg per glass on average. Most people who have issues with headaches tend to experience them predominantly with red wine. The fact is that sulfites are naturally present in red grapes, but in even higher amounts in white grapes. So your headaches should occur more with white wine. The exception is if you are actually allergic to sulfur.
You can test to see if you have a sensitivity to sulfites. Eat a small 2 oz serving of dried apricots. These typically contain 10 times the amount of sulfites in a glass of wine. If these don’t give you a headache then sulfites are definitely not your problem.
The term organic has often had a negative connotation with regards to wine sales, but winemakers are finding they can produce delicious wines that are not affected in anyway from chemicals or man-made fertilizers. It’s time to try some of the fantastic wines out there that just happen to also be organic, er sustainable…uh biodynamic…whatever.