The promise of less powerful hangovers, fewer chemicals and it’s even kinder to the environment – it’s no wonder that organic wine is booming.
There was once a time when organic wines were actively avoided by both people in the wine trade and the general wine consumer, even if they knew that organic wines existed in the first place. However, according to recent figures, organic wine is on the rise amongst wine lovers. This rise is in part due to the growth of talented winemakers actively seeking out organically grown grapes to make their wines from. The younger generation of wine drinkers are more embracing of organic wine, perhaps it has something to do with their love for all things organic, farmers markets and small retro wine bars.
Organic wine is a wine that has been made from grapes that have been grown without the use of artificial or harmful synthetic chemicals such as; herbicides and pesticides. To keep the grapes safe from the bugs and weeds, natural farming methods are used, they work with nature in order to boost the vineyard’s biodiversity. For example, they have been known to introduce cover crops to provide a habitat for beneficial insects, or they have sheep grazing in between the vine rows. Using these methods makes the vineyard self-regulating, natural ecosystem which can fight problems intrinsically and virtually eliminates the need for artificial intervention.
These days, it isn’t a surprise to find examples of organic wines appearing on the wine lists of your favourite small bar or bottle shop shelf, but to be sure that the wine you are drinking is truly organic, it must be certified. It is against the law for a winemaker to sell or promote their wine as organic if it is not certified.
However, just because a wine is organic, doesn’t mean that it is automatically better and healthier for you. The environment is certainly in much better health, than if you were spraying poisonous chemicals all over the place and the grapes certainly taste a lot better, meaning that in the hands of a skilled winemaker, the wine can definitely taste better; but organic wine still contains alcohol which of course, is harmful in excessive amounts. In saying that, organic wine does contain half of the maximum legal limit of sulphites – a common preservative in wine that is used to inhibit or to kill unwanted bacteria and yeasts, and the main culprit for shocking next day hangovers. If you are overly sensitive to sulphites, then drinking organic wines can be a “healthier” choice.
For the vast majority of people, the choice to drink an organic wine usually just boils down to taste. As with most organic produce, be it beef, apples, or eggs, the flavours are inherent, pure, complex and strikingly delicious. Organic food nourishes you in a way that no conventionally grown food can; and the same can be said for organic wine. But don’t just take our word for it, there are a plethora of organic wine stockists, so seek some out and try them for yourself.