Organic Wine

As more people become concerned about environmental toxins the popularity of organic wine is increasing. It can be confusing to read the labels; are you really getting a 100 percent certified organic product? How can you be sure?

There are a couple of terms that you see on the label of a wine that is being promoted as natural or organic. Here are the meanings behind some of those terms.

• Organic- If a wine has organic or 100 percent organic and it has the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) seal then you can be sure that it certified organic. It must have the name of the certifying agency on the label somewhere. Wines that carry this seal must only contain organically grown and processed ingredients and none of the ingredients can be GMO (genetically modified). In addition, while there can be naturally occurringg sulfites (total level must be less than 20 parts per million), no sulfites can be added to the wine.
• Made with Organically Grown Grapes/Ingredients- This means that the grapes contained in the wine must be certified organic but sulfites or other non-organic products can have been added during processing.
• Made with Some Organic Ingredients or Contains Organic Ingredients- means exactly that. Some of the ingredients used in the making of the wine were organic but there is no regulation on how much.
• All Natural- when something is all natural it simply means that there are no chemical additives. All natural does not ensure that you are drinking an organic product. Sulfites are considered a natural ingredient because they occur naturally in small amounts in most wines.

It gets a little more confusing. Wines that are made without added sulfites can be unstable. The quality may change from one batch to another and there is no guarantee that the wine will hold up well in bottling. This is, of course, frustrating for vineyards that want so market an organic product with a consistently high quality. If they add the sulfites needed to maintain the integrity of their wine they must label it as Made with Organically Grown Grapes. Consumers, used to looking for the 100 percent organic label sometimes will not buy the wines with this second label on them, thinking that they are lower in quality.

In wines a label that says Made with Organically Grown Grapes is often a higher quality than a purely 100 percent organic wine, so keep that in mind.

Organic red wine is produced from many of the same varieties of grapes that conventional red wine is made from. However, the organically produced grapes must have been grown according to the USDA organic standards. The winery must not have used chemical pesticides or herbicides, or chemically based fertilizers. Many also do not use animal by products like blood meal in growing the grapes and so are sometimes marked vegan.

Some organic red wines that you may like to try are:

• Jacques Frelin 2007 Cotes du Ventoux
• Percas Negras 2008 Malbec
• Domaine de Bajac 2006 Merlot
• Chateau Veronique 2007 Coteaux du Languedoc
  

Organic white wine is grown and labeled under the same requirements as any other organic wine. Again, it used many of the same varieties of grapes but they are all grown in an organic manner. Some that you may like to try are:

• Chateau Laubarit 2007 Entre -Deux Mers
• Nuevo Mundo 2008 Sauvignon Blanc
• Guy Chamout 2007 Bourgogne Chardonnay
• Eugene Meyer Alsace 2007 Gewurztraminer

Sparkling wines, like Champagne, have natural carbonation. They are a perfect celebration wine, and often pair well with desserts. An organic sparkling wine is a great way to end a romantic dinner, or start a romantic evening.

Some organic sparkling wines are:

• Mario Torelli Moscato d'Asti
• Guy Chaumont Cremant de Bourgogne Rose
• Serge Faust Champagne Carte d'Or Brut

If you want to buy organic wine for a gift there are several options available to you.

You could buy a bottle of organic wine locally. As more and more people ask to buy organic wines more stores carry them on a local level. Natural foods stores like Whole Foods are an excellent source of a variety of organic wines from all over the world.

For the biggest variety, however, you will want to buy organic wine online. There are a number of organic wine companies online that can provide as many wines as there are organic wine producers. Some of the wines available are:

• Organic Italian wines
• California organic wines
• Organic wines from France
• Organic Spanish wines

Another way to give this gift to someone, including yourself, is to sign them up for an Organic Wine Club. With this option you pay for the company to send a different wine on a certain cycle. Usually the cycles are

• Monthly
• Every other month
• Quarterly

A card is sent to the recipient announcing your gift but generally neither you nor they get to choose which wines are sent.

Finally, an organic wine gift basket can be purchased or homemade. Homemade allows you to create a basket that is uniquely tailored to the recipient's tastes but also may take a bit longer to collect the ingredients. Items that are often found in organic gift baskets are:

• Organic wine
• Organic artisan cheese
• Organic crackers
• Organic artisan bread
• Organic dried fruit and nuts
• Organic chocolate

To make the organic wine gift basket:

1. Crumple newspaper on the bottom of the basket
2. Cover with shredded colorful paper
3. Place items in basket
4. Cover with tulle netting and secure at the top with a ribbon

You can make it much easier on yourself by purchasing an organic wine gift basket that is all ready prepared. Many companies that sell organic wines make these as well.

Organic wine of all kinds is good for the environment, and a healthier choice for those who enjoy a glass of wine. If you are a vegan then be aware that animal by products such as blood and bone meal are used in some of the vineyards. If you want to be sure that your organic wine is also a vegan wine read the label carefully and ask questions.