What is organic wine?

Someone I know who has not consumed red wine in years because it gave her headaches, has started drinking red wine once again. The cure, she said, was organic wine. But when she explained to me that the wine contained no sulfites, and, thus, was the reason for her pain-free sipping, I had to correct her just slightly. Organic wines still contain some sulfites, however, much less than non-organic wines. There are simply no additional sulfites beyond what occurs naturally during fermentation. When sulfites are added, however, it is for a very good reason: to preserve the flavor of the wine over a normal shelf life.
But there was still another correction that I had to make after I read the wine label. It turned out that the wine was not organic at all, but instead made from organically grown grapes. These are two very distinct categories.
Before a wine can be labeled organic, a qualification which requires years, an independent certifying organization first audits and qualifies a vineyard and winery on its soil management, record keeping and other ecologically friendly practices that meet strict standards set by the US Department of Agriculture. For example, the producer must not use chemicals in the vineyard, such as herbicides, fungicides and pesticides, and must not introduce additional sulfites beyond what occurs naturally in the wine during the fermentation process.
Therefore, a wine label may state that the bottle contains organic wine only if two conditions are met: the wine’s grapes were grown organically and the total amount of sulfites is below the government warning label limit.
If grapes were grown organically, but the level of combined sulfites, both naturally occurring and added, are still higher than government limits, the label is only permitted to state that the wine was made from organically grown grapes, which is the category to which the subject wine belonged. This is not the same as organic wine. With the wine that this person was enjoying, there was no way of knowing the precise level of sulfites it contained. It may have actually had reduced levels, although the bottle did have the usual Sulfite Warning label. It’s possible this may have been the reason why the wine was safer for her to drink, but my guess is that the winery’s organic farming methods had more of an impact.
Although it is impossible to know the real reason for the difference between the “headache” red wine and “non-headache” wine, changing to organic wines, or at least, wine made from organically grown grapes, is a good step toward minimizing, and hopefully avoiding certain side effects that come from drinking wine. Just remember that the shelf life is limited with organic wines, so it is not recommended that you buy these wines for long-term aging in your home wine cellar.
Also bear in mind that a winery is free to practice organic farming methods without acquiring certification, or even mentioning it on the wine’s label. If you are in search of organic wine or wine made from organically grown grapes, feel free to ask your favorite wine producers if any of their vineyards are farmed organically and which specific wines are made from those vineyards.

My recommendation for this week is:
 
RED:
Robert Hall Grenache, Paso Robles, 2004
One of the most under appreciated grape varietals, in my opinion. This fine version is smooth, tasty, and well balanced with the typical brightness of fruit that comes with Grenache.     $24
www.roberthallwinery.com

Send your questions about wine to: wineologist@earthlink.net. © 2005 Wineology is a registered trademark of Len Napolitano.  Wine writer, educator, and Certified Specialist in Wine by the Society of Wine Educators, Len Napolitano makes his home in the Paso Robles wine region, the heart of California’s Central Coast Wine Country.