A good bottle of wine can bring joy and flavour to any meal or occasion – however, viticulture stands alongside agriculture as one of the great contributors to global problems like soil fertility loss, water contamination and wildlife habitat loss.
Choosing to drink organic wine can push back against some of the more harmful effects of conventional winegrowing.
Here’s a handy guide for understanding organic wine and what to look for when buying your next drop.
What is organic wine?
Organic wine is, first and foremost, made from organically farmed grapes. There are distinctions between “organic wine” and “wine made with organic grapes,” but at the heart of the matter is non-chemical farming.
Organic farmers manage insects, weeds, and disease through methods that are labor-intensive but less environmentally destructive. Soil and plant life is prioritised over commercialism. Not only do these organic approaches hold environmental benefits, but in general, organic viticulture is considered key for healthy grapes and great wine.
How is it better for the environment?
Organic vineyards not only avoid many of the environmental problems caused by viticulture, but form part of the effort to reverse those problems. This also applies to “regenerative” and “biodynamic” winegrowing, two distinct but related approaches which have organic farming as their basis.
Like most commercial crops, grapevines are susceptible to disease and insect infestation. To deal with these threats, conventional viticulture relies on pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
Organic viticulture permits the usage of two primary treatments: copper and sulfur, which are applied primarily for anti-fungal benefits. Some viticulturalists, including in the biodynamic movement, opt to treat vines with plant-based sprays such as nettle or yarrow, with the goal being overall vine health and resilience.
Organic farmers embrace two methods of weed management that have the added bonus of carbon sequestration and soil improvement: cover crop planting between vine rows, and no or reduced-tillage.
Instead of managing weeds through herbicide, organic growers sow cover crops such as peas, lupins, or clover between vine rows. These fix nitrogen in the soil, enhancing exposure to light and providing nutrients for microbes within, and they also generate more “organic matter” within the soil. “Organic matter” refers to humus in soil—the nutrient-rich stuff that makes soil fertile. Cover crops can break down and become organic matter, enhancing soil.
Tilling the soil is a known way to release carbon into the atmosphere. Organic farming avoids this by building soil up through cover crops, compost, mulch, and other forms of organic matter, preserving carbon instead of releasing it.
How does it affect the taste?
South Australian winegrower Frewen Ries, who co-owns CRFT Wines in the Adelaide Hills, converted his vineyard to organic after buying it from conventional farmers in 2013.
“When we took over, the soil under the vines was devoid of grass,” he says. “It had been sprayed with herbicide. You could knock on it and it was rock-hard. It was essentially hydrophobic, it didn’t soak up any water.”
Ries and his partner decided to let grass grow under the vines and to not till the soil. Over time, they saw a build-up of topsoil and the wines developed more complexity.
“We’ve done vertical tastings recently of our pinot noir to when we first produced it off the block in 2013, and we found a dramatic increase in colour and depth,” says Ries.
Creating a stronger, more resilient crop
While some insects can damage vines in the short term, organic farming prioritises a diverse ecosystem over crop capitalisation.
A flourishing ecosystem leads to what’s known as “dynamic equilibrium” and “biological control”– a situation where plants and microbial life balance each other out when competing for resources, and “living things control an outbreak of a pest,” according to an organic farming manual provided by the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA).
When plants, microbes, insects and animals are in harmony, there is less need for intervention and the crop will be overall stronger and more resilient.
What should I look for when buying?
Look for the “organic wine” or “natural wine” section at bottleshops, or ask them if they have one.
Head to any self-described “natural wine” shop, where some bottles may not be from certified organic vineyards, but in general producers represented will be farming organically or regeneratively, while also bottling their wine with low levels of sulfur dioxide (a preservative) and minimal or no filtration.
Look for certifications – in Australia, NASAA is commonly used for winegrowing; certified organic European Union wines (and foods) display a green leaf icon.
Wine is a luxury that we are lucky to enjoy. If we can put our money behind responsibly farmed vineyards, we’re steering the wine market toward better practices and creating a significant cumulative difference in the world.
