Organic Wines: A Healthier Choice

Years ago the term "organic wine" brought to mind the image of hippies fermenting grapes in the cellar of the commune. Recently wine made from organically grown grapes and without the use of chemical fertilizer has grown in popularity. There has also been some controversy as to what exactly defines an "organic wine." Organic wines have three tiers. The first is flavor. Many organic wines nowadays are as good or better than conventional wines in flavor. Secondly, there are health factors. It's been pretty much established that the fewer chemicals that we ingest, the better off we are. And finally, by consuming organic we are contributing to a safer and healthier environment. 

The large majority of wines that are called organic are simply made with organically grown grapes. The bottle usually boasts a seal that certifies that the vineyard is operating without the use of herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers and a minimum amount of sulfur dioxide is added. The other type of organic wine is made without the use of sulfur dioxide at all but these wines tend to be of poorer quality and very unstable. A lot of people are sensitive to the sulfur dioxide and get headaches after drinking conventional wine, but according to experts some of that reaction may be due to other chemicals in the wine and not the sulfur dioxide after all.

Conventional agricultural practices adopted over the past 50 years or so have stripped essential minerals from the ground .necessitating the increasing use of artificial help to replace what has been lost. There are now seventeen different insecticides, fumigants, and herbicides currently used, on average, in conventional wine grape production. In organic farming, the emphasis is on maintaining a healthy biologically active soil. In the vineyard it means cultivating the soil and using cover crops instead of herbicides. It means using natural fertilizers like manure instead of artificial ones. Instead of using poisonous insecticides, the growth of natural predators is encouraged.