Organic wine is a familiar proposition for growers and wineries who want to farm more efficiently and put out a sustainable product. Although the legal term “organic” is defined differently throughout the world, there is one commonality: the fruit source is limited to grapes grown without the use of agrichemicals – including pesticides, insecticides, herbicides and fungicides – or synthetic fertilizers. Only natural fertilizers may be applied, and only natural sprays with primarily copper and sulphur may be used to protect vines from fungus and disease.
At its heart, the organic wine movement showcases an erudite and natural agricultural process – where winemakers aim for a more pristine and ecologically viable way of farming grapes while producing more artisanal, palate-pleasing wines. We at JamesSuckling.com wholeheartedly support this. But as much as we think organic farming is important, we understand the hesitation of many producers in converting their vineyards and wine production. Among other reasons not to go organic is the use of copper to prevent downy mildew (scientific name: Peronospora). Copper is a heavy metal and accumulates in the soil. But we believe in any measure in the vineyard or winery that is more eco-friendly.
This agricultural attribute of wine also sheds light on why the fermented grape juice is such a magical liquid, with immense aesthetic value and appeal. After all, very few drinks on this planet are as captivating as wine: capable of holding your interest for several hours at a time, where you can smell and savor it and even return to it from time to time to compare it with your other favorite pours. It doesn’t hurt that you can also have a bit of fun in the process and end up feeling educated, content and perhaps even nicely tipsy.
In contrast, heavily industrialized beverages are creations born from formulae usually replicated in large volumes. They are more consistent in style and quality, but they are hardly going to inspire you to explore, to expand your vision or to converse with the soulful liquid inside.
There are other good reasons for winegrowers to go organic. Ecosystems in vineyards become healthier with the adoption of finer, more precise viticultural processes, and grape quality improves, too, with much less intervention necessary. We hear winemakers often telling us that more fauna has returned to their vineyards since they took up organic farming and decreased chemical sprays; that the soil has become healthier with composting (rather than using synthetic fertilizers), and that the humus has gradually degraded to help improve the nutrients and structure of the soil.
The organic idea gives growers a more holistic view of the ecosystem as a whole and makes it more likely they will embrace the life within the soil as an ally rather than defend against it as an enemy.
With technology deeply etched into every aspect of the viti-vini process, wine consumers today often encounter wines that have gone through excessive intervention and manipulation. While this doesn’t necessarily translate to lower quality, such processes turn the wines into more commercial and industrialized drinks, lacking any artisanal, aesthetic or environmental appeal. Organic farming, to an extent, fulfills winemakers’ quest to reach a continuum of “authenticity” and “naturalness” in their wines, making it an inviting proposition for them to revive traditional, more natural farming methods before the use of chemicals became the norm.
France, with its “Bio” certification (“Agriculture Biologique”) now a widely accepted stamp of approval, has a strong presence on the list, too. Regions like Alsace, Bordeaux, Loire, Beaujolais and Burgundy are on our radar as top producers of organic wines. In fact, these regions are also known for taking a step up in the organic stakes and following “biodynamic” practices (look for our article on that next week). You could also come across quite a few great organic wines bottled in Italy, Spain and Austria, with some others coming from the U.S., New Zealand, Argentina and Chile.
But the meaning of the word “organic” often shifts to reflect country-specific mandates as well as market realities. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, attaching the label “Organic” to wine means that the winegrowing phase and the vinification process must both be organic and free of added chemicals, including the addition of sulfites in the wine. But using the label “Made with organic grapes” applies to the grapes only, with a limited amount of sulfites allowed to be added during vinification, and some other ingredients are not required to be organic, such as yeast.
In the European Union, the label “Wine made from organic grapes” is the only one allowed in the “organic” category. This underscores the naturalness of the grape itself, and sulfites are allowed to be added during the vinification process – similar to the “Made with organic grapes” label in the U.S.
Over the past 12 months, we have tasted 1,682 bottles of “organic” wine, and over 1,500 wines received 90 points or more, while 232 had scores of at least 95 – our sweet spot for great wines. Although lesser examples of organic wines exist in our tastings, it is reassuring to see that the threshold of quality is very high.
At the top of the list, German vintners are taking their best shot at organic farming and producing incredible wines. Super-consistent producers such as Dönnhoff, Wagner-Stempel and quality-conscious Eva Fricke, just to name a few, are putting an indelible stamp on the country’s organic wines.
Today, although agriculture efficiency matters in the production of staple crops like wheat and rice – if only for the sake of delivering as much crop to a needy world as possible – it is much less relevant for wine producers.
Remember, wine is not a necessity for the livelihood of the majority. Instead, it is more of a reflection of a lifestyle popular among certain groups of people, which means that quality is much more relevant for the wines we drink than quantity. This premise of quality preceding quantity explains how organic farming became popular in the first place – that there are already enough wines in this world, but the pursuit of making even better wines never stops, and is in fact necessary.
While the taste of wine matters, we believe the process of how vines are grown and how wine is made is equally important. Below we have listed the notes on all the 1,682 wines we have tasted over the last year that call themselves “organic.”
– Zekun Shuai, Associate Editor
The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated for this report by the tasters at JamesSuckling.com. They include many of the latest releases not yet available on the market, but which will be available soon.
Note: You can sort the wines below by country, vintage, score and alphabetically by winery name. You can also search for specific wines in the search bar.
