Going green with organic reds and whites

Going green with organic reds and whites

Though they were once considered experimental, organic wines have moved into the mainstream in recent years. Whether it’s because of our increasing awareness of environmental issues or improved farming techniques, organic wines are beginning to take the stage in international competitions.

In fact, many of these wines, particularly those from France and Australia, are being touted in major wine magazines for their innovation, complexity and taste. As such, savvy wine drinkers are beginning to discover these gems in the marketplace, which follow stringent standards to limit the effect on the environment while remaining free of chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides.

So, what makes a wine organic and how does it stack up against traditional wines?

Let’s start in the vineyard. It’s a simple fact that all great wines begin with great grapes. Mediocre grapes will never become a great wine. Organic wineries tend to have more consistent vintages than non-organic ones. That’s because they avoid the use of fertilizers and pesticides that eventually deplete the earth the grapes grow in. And as everyone knows, the qualities found in the earth are passed directly to the grapes as they ripen. That’s why you’ll often hear aficionados refer to the flavor as that of earth, soil, tobacco, spice or even chocolate. These characteristics come from the ground the stalks grow in.

Since organic vineyards use organic methods to get the best grapes possible with the least amount of interference with the environment in which they are grown, the resulting wines often reflect this dedication to quality. To that end, many smaller organic wineries even forgo mechanical pickers, choosing to handpick the grapes instead.

There’s quite a bit of confusion about what constitutes a true “organic” wine. The industry and regulators continue to grapple with the definition, primarily because of the use of sulfur dioxide in the production process. The resulting sulfites help make the wine more stable. Organic and traditional wines can both be made without the addition of sulfites, but it can create a wine that is unstable and inconsistent. This is particularly true with whites, which don’t have the benefit of tannins, which are a natural preservative in red wines. So even if a wine is 99% organic, the presence of the added sulfites can still be a sticking point with its labeling as organic.

Ignoring this confusion, one wonders whether organic wines can stack up to those produced traditionally. The answer is yes and no.

Just as there are good and bad traditional wines, there are also good and bad organics. The character of the vineyard, the weather, the harvest and the skill of the winemaker determine the end result.

But if you’re into being a little more green with your reds and whites, you may want to ask your local wine seller if they carry organic wines and sample a few. You may not only find a new favorite, but also do your part in protecting the environment while enjoying the fruits of organic farming techniques.

Even a little thing like organic wine can eventually help restore the environment. To borrow a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, “We did not inherit the Earth from our forefathers, we are borrowing it from our descendants”.