Wholesale Organic

Monday, December 3rd, 2007

Taking a Look at Organic Wine

The US Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program requires that organic wine be one that is made from organically grown grapes and without sulfites. Organic grapes are certified organic when they have been grown without the use of harsh chemicals or toxic pesticides, fungicides or insecticides.

But making sure that the wine is without sulfites is a bit more complicated. The organic standard requires that there be no more than 100ppm (parts per milligram) of sulfite in the wine. But sulfites are a natural by-product of the fermentation process. Fermenting yeasts create naturally occurring sulfites in small amounts (anywhere from 6 to 40ppm).

Yet, some winemakers like to add more sulfite to the wine as an anti-oxidant and preservative throughout the many, many stages wine goes through while aging. Many winemakers feel that adding sulfites to wine in a necessity: it helps to prevent oxidation and bacterial spoiling of the wine. And sulfites are not toxic to humans or the environment.

Despite the difficulty in finding organic wines, it is worth the look. More winemakers are at least trying out the organic variety, concentrating on not using the toxic chemicals or pesticides. Some wine aficionados argue that the flavor of organic wine is more fruitful and fuller with grapes that haven’t been treated with harsh chemicals.