Not All Wines Made By Organic Producers Are The Same
As many wine consumers know, there is a distinction between certified organic wines, and those made following sustainable practices. While there’s no need to throw stones at producers who are merely green-friendly without pursuing certification, eco-conscious wine drinkers rely on certifications to ensure that the wines they drink are truly organic.
One of the misconceptions in the marketplace is that any wine produced by a winery with organically-certified vineyards is organic. While this is sometimes true, especially for smaller, estate-only producers, this is not always the case. Many wineries often source grapes from outside of their estate for select wines, or use a blend from several vineyards. For example, the estate vineyards of St Helena, California’s Spottswoode Winery are certified organic by the CCOF. Therefore, all wines produced on their estate can officially make the claim of being made from organically-grown grapes. However, select wines, such as their Sauvignon Blanc, are sourced from grapes outside the winery and are not necessarily certified (although Spottswoode has indicated to us before that they purchase grapes that are sensitively farmed from partners).
The best rule of thumb to determine whether a wine is organic is to check the label. While certified organic wines are not required to promote their certifications on the bottle itself (for whatever reason, some consumers still feel organic wines are inferior), many of them frequently do. A winery’s web site is another great source, as you can often download ’sell sheets’ that are meant for retailers, and contain more in-depth information about a wine or how it was made. As a last resort, contact the winery directly. Never assume that just because you’ve seen an organic wine from a particular winery, all of their wines are certified.
on June 7th, 2009 at 9:38 am
Good post- it is also important to consider the winemaking techniques that are used. Even if grapes are organically grown, winemakers may use non-organic fining agents and/or have sulfite levels in the wines that exceed organic guidelines. The converse may also be true- I understand that Demeter charges a per-bottle fee for wines labeled biodynamic, such that some wineries may under-label their wines (label them “natural” or “organic” instead if “biodynamic”) in order to avoid paying the fee.
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