Organic wines, pure and simple.

What makes organic wines worth drinking?

Organic Wines

There seems to be an organic option for most food and drink products these days; is it better for you, or just an expensive trend? What about organic wine?

Well, organic wine is really seeing a rise in popularity, so let's ask ourselves why, and is it worth the hype?

The term organic is something of a contentious subject for some. What counts as organic can depend on what country you are in. When it comes to wine, the term organic features at two stages of the creative process.

In the Vineyard. Generally speaking, organic means the wine has been made using grapes that have been farmed without the use of pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers, instead opting to encourage natural predators into the vineyard to eat the insects, and using organic fertilizers such as manure.

Firstly, this is good news for the environment in which the grapes are farmed as the wildlife in the area is allowed to thrive. But secondly (and importantly), this is great news for the wine drinker as it means less chemicals in your tipple, which hopefully means less of a headache in the morning (this does still depend on the amount consumed though!). The principle remains, the less intervention (be it chemical or physical), the purer the wine and the lesser effect it has on you.

In the Winery. When we talk about organic wine, we also talk about process of fermentation and the preservation of the wine. The most widely used method of preserving wine is through the use of sulphites; without these, wines won't last as long. Organic wines use very few sulphites, if any at all. So, when it comes to organic wines, best drink them quick!

Many smaller winemakers actually follow organic principles when growing and making their wines, but choose not to shout about it. This is mainly due to the costs associated with getting a recognised organic certification. So, by carefully growing and hand picking their grapes, sorting the good bunches from the bad, they can eliminate the need to correct faults in the winery using chemicals, this means many wines from smaller winemakers are pretty much producing organic wine without even adapting their processes.

So, does all this mean organic wine has to be more expensive? No, although it is true that you may not find many organic wines for under £6, there are some really good ones for not much more than this. When a wine is certified organic, you know that you are getting a drink that has been made with care, and is not full of hangover inducing chemicals. Now, that has to be worth a couple of quid doesn't it?

If you want to know the source of your wine, from vineyard to bottle, speak to us, your local independent wine merchant. We work hard to source wines from smaller producers that use organic techniques and minimal intervention, and we have at least 40 organic wines on our list and this is growing.

More taste, less hangover. You can thank us later!

Grape organic wines to try...