Wine lovers often ask me to recommend an organic wine. First, I like to ask them what their concerns are with conventional wine. Is the desire to avoid sulfites? Pesticides or herbicides? To be kinder to the environment? To drink healthier wine?
Once they answer, I’ve got something to work with. But, as an expert on organic wines who blogs on, sells, educates, and purchases organic wine, I want consumers to be well informed and up to date. I usually have to correct some common misconceptions so they know what they will — and won’t — get by drinking organic.
Misconception Number 1: Wine made with organically grown grapes is the same as organic wine
This is a big one — the distinction essentially lets people know “how organic” their choice is.
Organically grown grapes were farmed without the use of synthetic pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, or fertilizers. For grapes to be called organic, they must be certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, (USDA). If certified, U.S. wines made with them may be labeled “made with organic grapes.”
Organic wine has a higher standard to meet. It must use only organic grapes and then must be fermented, aged, and bottled without any non-organic additives, like non-organic yeast. Sulfur dioxide (sulfites) can’t be added either. (Interestingly, elemental sulfur sprays are allowed in organic vineyards to prevent mildew.) If a U.S. wine meets these standards, and is certified, it may be labeled “USDA Organic.”
To ensure a fully organically made wine, look for the little green and white (USDA Organic) circle on the front label.
©BethEllen Clausen
Misconception Number 2: Sulfites are bad for you
Sulfites occur naturally as a result of the fermentation process. As yeast consumes the sugars in the grape juice, it converts them to alcohol. Other chemical reactions occur, one of which is sulfite production.
The sulfites lend a hand to the yeast by fending off other microorganisms that could also feast on the yeast. These are beneficial to the wine, as those microorganisms can spoil wine in the short or long run.
Sometimes winemakers add a bit more sulfites to ensure their wine does not spoil before you drink it. They can do this during fermentation or before bottling. This ensures the wine tastes the way the winemaker intended when you pour it into your glass.
Other considerations winemakers have in adding sulfites:
- Whether the wine is meant to age. The longer it’s intended to age, the greater the opportunity for spoilage — and the benefit of sulfites.
- Tannin and acid in the wine. Both compounds are also naturally occurring preservatives, so higher levels of one or both help a wine age gracefully. White wines generally have less tannin, so more sulfites may be added.
- Residual sugar in the wine. If not all of the sugars in the grape “must” (juice) are fermented, there will be a level of sugar left in the wine. A winemaker might add sulfites to prevent a second fermentation happening in the bottle.
While sulfites are toxic at high levels (and a small percentage of the population is allergic to them), the amount used in wine production is regulated to be low. In fact, many processed foods have higher levels than wine. Sulfites are not responsible for “morning after” effects of drinking wine.
Nonetheless, American wine labels starting in 1986 have been required to list “contains sulfites” when sulfites have been added to the wine. Wine with added sulfites cannot be labeled USDA Organic.
This gets confusing, since European regulations don’t require wine labels to declare “contains sulfites.” Even European Organic (Bio) Wines can contain added sulfites without any indication on the label.
All of this has led some to believe that wine from France or Italy for example has no sulfites, or lower levels than their American counterparts. This simply isn’t the case.
Misconception Number 3: If it’s labeled “organic” it isn’t very good
This is something many wine snobs get wrong.
Wines labeled organic have had a bad reputation partly because when labeling first started, some brands were relying on that label as their primary marketing pitch — a “drink this because it’s healthier” kind of thing. They were not necessarily putting their money into the quality of the wine, but into the organic certification — which is a considerable expense — and marketing.
Meanwhile, plenty of wines made with organic fruit or organically made wines weren’t labeled organic, either because of the financial outlay needed to become certified or because of the public perception that organic wine wasn’t high quality.
I think enthusiasts’ concerns have been assuaged — as more vineyards have become organic, the public has developed preferences for organic farming generally, and organically labeled wines have become more prevalent and gotten better.
©BethEllen Clausen
Hopefully this clears up some misconceptions, and will make it easier to read labels to find wines you like. Next time you’re shopping, you can feel more confident navigating labels. And don’t hesitate to have a conversation with the wine expert or proprietor.
Organic wine expert Beth-Ellen Fried-Clausen blogs at www.organicwinetravel.com
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