by Administrator
21. November 2008 08:54
Recently it has occured to me that while many of my customers seek new "Organic Wines", very few of them actually understand what this means. I will try to expand on that here. First, let me begin by sharing with you the USDA definition of what constitutes "Organic Food":
"Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; petroleum-based fertilizers or sewage sludge-based fertilizers; bio-engineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards."
So that's the official ruling, but what does this mean for wine? First let's define the difference between actual organic wines, and wines certified as made from organically grown grapes. 100% certified organic wines have 0 sulfites (sulfur dioxide) added, and are produced from grapes sourced entirely from organic certified vineyards. You can usually tell an organic vineyard at a glance. It has a certain amount of "wild" in it's semmingly unkempt appearance, and relies heavily on nature's own checks and balances (bird's, bats etc.) to keep the pests at bay. Wines labeled as "made from organically grown grapes" must be composed of 70% organically certified fruit, and can have up to 100 parts per million sulfites added.
While the 0 sulfites added sounds like a good thing, it in fact can be detrimental to a wine's shelf life, especially for white wines. Sulfites are typically added by winemakers as a perservative. Since red wines naturally contain more preservatives than whites, a white wine absent of any added sulfites can actually go south quickly, even in proper storage conditions.
Hopefully this clears up a few misconceptions about organic farming!
