Organic, biodynamic, and natural wines — What I learned from my review

After reviewing the rules, regulations, and practices for organic wines, biodynamic wines, and natural wines, there are a few interesting and important things I want to share with you.

First, having the word “organic” on a wine label does not tell you much. In fact, there are essentially no organic wines, only “wines made from organic grapes”, which is probably not enough information for concerned shoppers. The words biodynamic and natural offer even less assurances about what is in the bottle along with the wine. If you are looking for a wine without sulfur or wine produced without the use of animal products, there are not many choices and existing labeling regulations do not provide any help in identifying the few bottles of wine that meet these needs.

Do organic and biodynamic grapes make better wine?

There are lots of vineyards converting to either organic or biodynamic grape production. From an environmental point of view, this is a welcome change, but do organic or biodynamic grapes make better wine? I am sure that this question will be debated for a long time to come. However, I can say that I have tasted some exceptional wines made from organic and biodynamic grapes. Further, I think the primary motivating force for most winemakers and vintners is to produce the best wine they can. If these folks think the wine is better when made from organic or biodynamic grapes, I will go with their instincts.

Part of a larger discussion on what is the right way to make wine

The larger question in the wine community seems to be, what is the right way to make wine? For the most part, the whole issue is a lot like the debate surrounding television programming. One side wants to tell everyone what to watch it, and the other side says if you do not like what is on, change the channel. On this issue, I fall into the change the channel group. For example, I am not a fan of the overripe style that many Californian wineries have adopted, particularly for their Cabernets and Pinots. So I save my money and drink something else. I also skip reality television shows in favor of PBS.

Am I worried that all wine will turn into Survivor? No, I am not.

Most grapes do not end up in bottles of great wine or even good wine. Most grapes end up in simple, sometimes just drinkable wine for having at the end of a long day. The fact is there is a debate about vineyard practices and wine making styles, in part, because there is an increasing volume of wine available.

American wine habits are in a constant state of fluctuation

It seems likely that some of the extreme wine styles that are popular now will have their day and move on. Remember there was once a concern that all Zinfandel grapes would be used to produce White Zinfandel. That never happened. People stopped drinking White Zinfandel, not because of other people’s opinions, but because they found something they liked better to drink. (The fact that what they found was off-dry Chardonnay is a subject for another post.)

I was at a Burgundy tasting last week, when a woman cornered my wife and started talking about how she hated Burgundies and loved Californian Pinots. She said she could not understand what her husband saw in these fruitless wines. At that moment, her husband returned waxing philosophically about how much he loved Chambolles. I thought there is the perfect example of American wine drinkers — all we can agree on is that we love wine.

Check out these related posts:

1. Organic, healthy, low environmentally impacting wine, anyone?
2. Biodynamic grapes, and the wines they make
3. Natural wine, and the search for identity
4. Organic wine — What is it anyway?
5. Drink wine responsibly, not sustainably