Organic Wine

Organic wine is the wine of the moment, and in this short but comprehensive article I will explain why. We are talking about a product made not only with respect for the environment, but also for the end customer, the condicio sine qua non of the world wine movement.

Organic farming

Before going into the specifics and talking about organic wine, it is good to mention what is meant by organic farming, and what the legal references are in this regard.

Organic farming is first and foremost an agriculture that repudiates the industrialisation of crops and thus also GMOs, dangerous to humans and the conservation of biodiversity.

Basically, it is a production approach free of systemic chemistry and is protected at European level.

This is on a purely formal level.

European Regulation on Organic Farming

All relevant European regulations are outlined in Regulation 834/2007, and in this article we link we can find all the necessary information.

We believe that there is still a lot of work to be done, and that this regulation absolutely must be developed, since systemic chemistry products, such as the Glyphosatewhich are harmful to health and the environment. It is, however, certainly a good starting point.

Organic Wine, European Regulation 848/2018

Organic wine is extensively dealt with in EU regulations, and in particular by one the Regulation 848/2018.

The points he dwells on are basically two: treatments in the vineyard and those in the cellar.

Organic wine in the vineyard

Organic wine in the vineyard must be produced through the prevalent use of non-invasive products, and therefore the direction is to use sulphur and copper to the extent of 4 kg per hectare per year. We believe that this dose is excessive and should be reduced to less than half, as is the case for example in thebiodynamic farmingfor which the surplus is replaced by various preparations with the same function

Organic wine in the cellar

Organic wine in the cellar is not bound by the use or non-use of chemical yeasts, rather than industrialised control of the entire production chain, as it might appear. The precept is only to remain within certain parameters, especially as regards the presence of sulphur dioxide in wine, which we discuss in this article. The parameters indicate 100 mg/litre as the threshold for sulphite concentration in red wine, 150 mg/litre for rosé and white wines, and so on upwards for sweet and dessert wines.

These are still not fully acceptable thresholds, not too far from those set for conventional wine, practically a industrial surrogate of our favourite nectar.

Organic wine, the reasons why it is better

If you have followed along so far, I think it is obvious to you that we do not consider organic values to be an acceptable limit that improves wine. However, they are certainly suitable for the purpose of greater respect for the environment, which has been poisoned by chemicals.

Organic wine is therefore to be preferred because it respects the environment, but not only that. It is also objectively better in terms of quality because the wine is made in the vineyard and the less chemical there is in the vineyard, the less there will be in our glasses. The more room there is for the terroir come out. 

Organic Wine and Sustainability

Organic wine is therefore a product of clean and sustainable agriculture because it reduces greenhouse gas emissions, soil erosion and soil poisoning. This latter theme is really so important when talking about sustainabilitywhose definition most appropriately falls under possibility for our generation to use present resources without affecting a similar possibility for future generations.