Organic Wines

‘Great wine is made in the vineyard’; a phrase often quoted by journalists the world over.
Meaning great wine comes from great grapes planted in great soil, which in turn comes from a great location.
Wine is the fermented juice of freshly gathered wine grapes and has been with us since Ancient Egyptian times.

Much like other forms of farming, grape cultivation, known as viticulture, has changed dramatically over the years.
A move towards monoculture and a greater stress on quantity and consistency enhanced by the ever increasing use of chemical fertilizers, fungicicdes and pesticides.
These changes came about gradually after the 1950’s when there was a need to increase the food supplies due to the rationing and depletion caused by World War II.
But since the 1980’s there has been an increasing awareness that this single minded method of farming is in fact harming the earth and environment in more ways than we can imagine.
It is not known as yet the full extent of the damage caused by the heavy chemicals; harm to the soil, the atmosphere, wild life and ourselves.

So what does Organic Wine actually mean?
Organic wines are made from grapes that have been grown without the use of chemical fungicides, herbicides, pesticides or fertilisers.
The principle behind Organic farming is to grow a crop as effectively as possible whilst caring for the soil and all that that contains, the creatures that live within, the natural bacteria and mineral elements. Organic growers are looking after the future and not just the ‘here and now’.
Organic farmers believe in polyculture, the process of farming several crops simultaneously to create biodiversity and sustainability.
The soils’ structure and fertility is improved by adding organic compost in winter, and by sowing cover crops (peas, barley, flowers and herbs) between the vine rows in spring. Cover crops create biodiversity so that when the crops flower they not only add colour to the landscape, but attract important insects into the vineyard. These insects act as natural pesticides controlling harmful bugs that can destroy the vine, without the use of chemicals.
This system allows the vine to build up their natural defenses and not become dependent on chemicals.
This said Organic farming is not completely free from spraying; simply the sprays that are used are biodegradable and so harmless.
All well and good but what do Organic wines taste like?
Are they any different?
It would be improbable for me to claim that all Organic wines are wonderful, the best of the best. As with everything there are varying degrees of quality, but Organic wines do taste different, and here’s how:
Because the vines are working naturally rather than being enhanced superficially, they produce less fruit, but the fruits that they do produce are richer in flavour and sugars. So that when the grapes are made into wine they do not need the addition of sugar beet to boost the alcoholic strength and the resulting wines have a greater depth and complexity replicating the soil that they came from. Organic wines have more flavour; it’s as simple as that.
But where do Organics fit into the on-trade, is there enough demand to warrant their presence?
Hotel restaurants are typically classical; their wine lists are still French dominated despite the modern enthusiasm of New World wines.
So something seemingly trendy and unknown as Organic wines is looked at with confusion and often prejudices and then ignored. But this shouldn’t be the case; market results show the increase in both purchasing and demand of Organic and eco-friendly produce, and the on-trade need to follow up on these trends.
Organic wines come in all forms, from all countries, and in fact due to their perfect climate, the South of France leads in Organic Viticulture.
I have often seen the term ‘Organic’ next to food items on a menu, presumably because the chef believes in the quality and to enable the waiter to sell the dish easily.
Organic wines should similarly be declared on the Wine List, not simply because of their ecological value, but because these are seriously GOOD wines and should be promoted as such.
So if you haven’t already, give them a try.

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