3 Reasons to Choose Organic Wine
3 Reasons to Choose Organic Wine
Have you noticed a trend in your liquor store recently? It seems that more and more little green labels are popping up, directing the consumer to these selections. Alain Cloutier, a wine buyer for the popular Granville Liquor Store in Vancouver, Canada, says that he noticed a definite growth in demand for organic wine in 2014 and 2015. However, he does caution that consumers should be educated on what they are buying and not purchase something simply because it’s trendy.
Perhaps it’s worth taking the time to understand organic wine a little more deeply — and that understanding begins with the label. There are two crucial labels to decipher when looking for a cleaner bottle of wine. They are “organic” and “made from organic grapes”. According to The Organic Consumer’s Association, these are the basic definitions of each in the United States:
Organic
To be labeled organic or to have the USDA stamp, the wine has to be made from grapes that have been grown organically. Organic wine cannot have any added sulfites. In addition, the total sulfite level has to be less than 20 parts per million.
Made from Organic Grapes
This wine is also made from organic grapes, but may contain added sulfites.
Why do wineries add sulfites? Sulfites are usually added to wine as preservatives. These are added not to help preserve wine but as well as to prevent oxidation and bacterial spoilage. As previously stated, it seems that customers are on the hunt for healthier or cleaner wine drinking alternatives. Here are the benefits that come with purchasing wine that is labeled as organic?
Benefits of Choosing Organic Wine
1. Avoid Sulfites: If you are a person that is allergic to, or reacts badly to sulfites, you can sidestep them all together with 100 percent of it.
2. Avoid Genetically Modified Organisms: Conventional wine may or may not use genetically modified yeast. The Organic Consumer’s Association explains that alcoholic and malolactic fermentation of wine is usually a two-step process. However, this GM yeast (ML01) allows fermentation to happen in only one step. This may be convenient for the wineries that choose to use it, but it is a hindrance to those who want to dodge GMOs. A simple solution to this is to stick to certified organic wine.
3. No Synthetic Toxins: Certified organics cannot use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides to fertilize grapes. Organic vineyards like the Kelowna-based Summerhill Winery use the following methods:
- Compost, green manure and crop cover for fertilization instead of synthetic fertilizer or non-organic compost.
- Graze chickens under vines to keep insects in check rather than insecticides
- Mechanical weeding in place of herbicides
Less use of synthetic pesticides and insecticides means a healthier and cleaner glass of wine for you, not to mention the environment.