Organic wine isn’t nearly as straightforward as, say, fruits and vegetables. This is because there is a distinction between the grape growing process, which can be organic, and the winemaking process, which many times is not. Keep on reading as we try to clear up some of the confusion as well as give you our picks for the Best Organic Wines under $20!

First, off to be labeled as fully organic a wine must not only use organically grown grapes, but also avoid the use of any synthetic additives such as sulfites. (This does not mean the wine does not contain any sulfites at all as all wines have naturally occurring sulfites unless they are removed.) There are a growing number of wines out there that meet this criteria, but they are nowhere near commonplace as of yet.

Much more common, and most of the recommendations you’ll find in our list of the best organic wines, are those made from organically grown grapes. This means there were no synthetic pesticides or herbicides used in the vineyard. To qualify for the official USDA designation of “Made with Organic Grapes” there are also limits on the additives that can be used in the winemaking process, although it is not as strict as fully organic wines.

One last note before we get to our picks. Organic is not to be confused with the terms “natural”, “biodynamic”, “sustainably produced” (or even vegan) that you may also find on many wine labels. To make matters even more confusing there are other associations besides the USDA that monitor organic practices but may not be allowed on a wine label. In addition, some wineries have been following organic practices for decades but are not labeled as such as the cost to become official is simply not worth it!

In light of all this we encourage you, as always, to dig beyond the label. While you can be sure any wine with the USDA Organic label is indeed organic, that’s probably only the tip of the iceberg.