What\u2019s in a label? When you shop for wine, whether at your local grocery store or a specialized retailer, it can be hard to tell what is truly organic and what is masquerading as such. In addition to making sure that an organic label is legitimate, you might wonder what makes a wine organic and why you should choose it over a non-organic bottle.<\/span><\/p>\n The organic label on a bottle of wine should not be haphazardly affixed to the product as part of a marketing decision. Like all organic products, wine must be certified \u2013 it must earn the label.<\/span><\/p>\n In this article, we will discuss how wines earn an organic label, and why you as the consumer should care. We will discuss:<\/span><\/p>\n The United States employs a rigorous process for <\/span>certifying wine as organic<\/span><\/a>. This process is administered through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and takes approximately three years. During this time, winemakers must transition their practice to meet organic standards, including discontinuing the use of pesticides, herbicides, and all unnatural products during both the farming and winemaking processes. During the winemaking process, only naturally occurring sulfites are allowed. During the farming process, genetic engineering is prohibited.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The USDA organic certification process is <\/span>a five-step process<\/span><\/a>. Step one requires the winemaker to create an organic certification plan that details how their vineyard will become organic, which includes farming, harvesting, storage, and production practices that will be enacted. This document will include products and techniques that will be used, the protocol to document progress, and any obstacles the producer anticipates along the way with strategies for overcoming them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Step two involves enacting the plan with oversight from a USDA agent called a certifying agent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In step three, there is an inspection of the soil, grapes, weed management, pest management, irrigation systems, equipment, and any other areas the agent deems necessary for review, including storage and production spaces.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In step four, the inspector presents the findings to the certifying agent, along with an assessment of the risk of contamination from prohibited materials. A follow-up inspection may be necessary for more a detailed analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n During the fifth and final step of the process, the certifying agent either issues an organic certificate listing products that can be sold as organic on the farm or doesn\u2019t.\u00a0 While this is considered the last step, the winemaker must commit to maintaining these standards indefinitely. The winery will be subject to annual (or more frequent) reviews to maintain its organic certification.<\/span><\/p>\n In addition to meeting USDA National Organic Program standards, organic wines from the U.S. must meet the requirements of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, especially for sulfite labeling standards. No added sulfites are allowed in USDA organic wines.<\/span><\/p>\n Before a wine can be sold as organic, the growth of grapes and their conversion to the wine must be certified organic. Organic wines are made without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and in a way that protects the environment and soil.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Fully organic wines are made with only certified organic ingredients, from grape growth to bottled, bagged, or boxed products. All agricultural ingredients that are used to make the wine must be organic, such as yeast. Any non-agricultural ingredients must be on the <\/span>National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances<\/span><\/a> and can\u2019t constitute more than 5% of the total product. Wine naturally produces some sulfites (sulfur dioxide) but they can\u2019t be added to USDA organic wine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Wines that are marketed as \u201cmade with organic grapes\u201d are a little different than 100% organic wine. 100% of grapes grown to produce these wines must be certified organic, but other agricultural products used to make these wines, like yeast, aren\u2019t required to be organic. They do have to be produced without excluded non-organic methods (like genetic engineering) however. Similar to 100% organic wines, non-agricultural ingredients must be on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. As far as sulfites, these wines differ in that they are allowed to be added \u2013 up to 100 parts per million.<\/span><\/p>\n The European standards for organic certification are similar to US guidelines with one key difference. Unlike in the United States, the EU allows a small amount of added sulfites in wine production. This change <\/span>was enacted in 2012<\/span><\/a>. In the EU, wine is still considered organic if it contains 100 parts per million of added sulfites.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As a result of this rule, wine made in both the US and the EU that the US would classify as \u201cmade with organic grapes\u201d may be considered fully organic in Europe. Winemakers differ on this issue. Some believe it creates a more inclusive standard for farms that are making great strides in terms of biodiversity; others believe that the US standard is the most stringently pure and therefore the best.<\/span><\/p>\n In any case, when it comes to farming practices, in particular, there are not huge differences in fully organic versus \u201cmade with organic grapes.\u201d It is the winemaking process (i.e. the added sulfites and looser restrictions for agricultural ingredients) that truly sets these wines apart.<\/span><\/p>\n Given the difficulty of going organic, one may wonder why winemakers choose to do so. There are many reasons and include consumer demand, sustainability, energy conservation, biodiversity, better working conditions for employees, and a calling to adhere to more ethical practices for the environment.<\/span><\/p>\n The easiest way to spot organic wine and other products \u2013 in the United States, anyway \u2013 is to look for the telltale green USDA Organic label. If the wine doesn\u2019t have this certification, it\u2019s not certified organic.<\/span><\/p>\n Depending on where you are, you may also look for other criteria on the label, such as \u201cmade with organic grapes,\u201d which means the grapes were grown organically but there may be sulfites or other processing additives, such as acacia gum and tannins. You may also see a label that indicates a certain percentage of organic grapes used, or a wine labeled as natural, sustainable, vegan, or biodynamic\u2014the latter of which is subject to <\/span>its own incredibly rigorous certification process.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n
How the organic wine certification process works in the United States<\/b><\/h5>\n
The differences and similarities between organic wine and \u201cmade with organic grapes\u201d<\/b><\/h5>\n
How organic wine certification differs in the European Union<\/b><\/h5>\n
Why do wineries go organic?<\/b><\/h5>\n
How can consumers spot organic wine and other products?<\/b><\/h5>\n
Organic wine from Argentina<\/b><\/h5>\n