What is Organic Wine?

Sustainable agriculture is defined as a production method based on a global approach to the farm that integrates economic, qualitative, social and environmental aspects into its management. In other words, sustainable agriculture seeks to take into account in a balanced way the objectives of producers, the expectations of consumers and respect for the environment in daily practices. Its role is therefore to limit the impact of the winegrowing activity on the environment. The idea is to use only the minimum of chemical products, to treat the vine only when necessary and to ensure total transparency of these treatments given to the vine. This approach, which limits the use of chemicals without rejecting them entirely, is officially recognised and certified by the H.V.E. (High Environmental Value) label.

An organic wine is a wine produced by organic farming, i.e. produced from grapes certified as organic, thus respecting strict specifications banning pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilisers and GMOs. To obtain organic certification, not only must the grapes be organically grown, but also the winemaking process must comply with some specifications that include winemaking rules, such as a maximum sulfite content that is lower than the maximum doses authorised for conventional wines. However there is no big difference in what an organic grower can do in the wine cellar compared to a conventional one. In fact many producers argue that the set of rules is far too generous. Wine can only be called organic if the wine-growers have had their farming practice monitored and certified by an organisation that has been officially recognised. The most important organisation for awarding the "AB" label is Ecocert.

Biodynamic viticulture is inspired by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher and scientist. It consists of rehabilitating and intensifying organic life within the vineyards in order to better respect the environment, to make the vines strong enough to defend themselves and allow the best expression of the terroir in the wines. Biodynamics also takes into account the lunar cycles and planetary positions for their influence on the life and growth of plants, and aims to improve the quality of the soil and the vines naturally. It also includes the use of specially prepared homeopathic remedies, that are called preparations, to ward off and treat the vineyard diseases and pests. More and more estates are converting into biodynamic farming, without chemical fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides, to adopt natural methods of prevention while seeking to reactivate the natural microbial life of the soil. This type of cultivation is often a guarantee of quality and, above all protection of the terroir. In order to obtain biodynamic certification (Demeter or Biodyvin label), it is necessary to be first certified in organic agriculture.

Natural wine has been growing in popularity in recent years, but even natural wine producers don't always agree on an acceptable definition. A natural wine is an approach inspired by organic agriculture and biodynamics that goes much further, especially during the vinification process. Many of the natural wine producers feel that the restrictions and requirements for organic and biodynamic wines are not strict enough. The new French natural wine certification label is called "Vin Méthode Nature" ("Natural Method Wine"). In order to qualify, the grapes must carry an organic certification, be hand-picked and fermented using indigenous yeasts. Methods which are banned during the winemaking process include thermovinification, reverse osmosis, flash pasteurisation and cross-flow filtration. Only up to 30 mg/L of sulphur dioxide is permitted after fermentation. Other wine-producing countries are expected to follow the French example. In France there are also two separate organizations, AVN and Vins SAINS, for so called natural wines.