Organic Wine a Good Choice for Green Mom’s Table

Many green mom’s prefer to buy  produce and dairy, especially for the kids.  So you buy milk and cheese, organic fruits and vegetables, why not organic wine?

Organic farming does not use artificial pesticides or fertilizers. Organic methods are gentler on the Earth, resulting in less water and air pollution and often better soil management than conventional agriculture. Wines labeled USDA organic must be made of organic grapes and contain no added artificial chemicals.

No added sulfites in organic wines

The prohibition against adding artificial chemicals to organic wines is good news for anyone sensitive to sulphur. Sulfites, added to wine as a flavor preservative and present in nearly all wines sold in the United States, give many wine drinkers headaches and are a major culprit in wine hangovers. Interestingly, in many wine-making countries, adding sulfites is not common place for domestic wines, only for wines exported to the United States where it is expected.

Grades of organic and natural wines

In addition to organic, wine buyers may see labels declaring that the wine is made from a percentage of organic grapes, meaning the winery, while not certified organic itself, uses some percentage of grapes from an organic vineyard. Non organic wines using organic grapes may contain added sulfites.

Many organic wines to choose from

The number and variety of organic wines on the U.S. market has increased dramatically in recent years and organic wines are starting to shake off a poor reputation they acquired when they first came onto the scene.

“That’s the stigma left over from 15 or 20 years ago, when wines were marketed as organic and weren’t very good,” said Gregory Dal Piaz, the director of customer development for Astor Wines & Spirits of NoHo told the New York Times when it did a feature story on organic wines in 2007. “I don’t think it’s the best way to market wine. You market wine because it’s good,” he said.

“The advantage of using organic grapes is that you don’t have residual pesticides, residual fungicides, residual fertilizer within the grape mast when you are fermenting,” explains Gabriel Chisese, co-owner of the wine store in North London, Estate Wines. Chisese agrees with Piaz, however, that organic methods don’t necessarily make a better wine. “That is going to depend on the wine maker.”

Photo credit: Wine rack copyright flickr user jdn; Trees reflected in wine glass copyright Flickr user jessiehart; both under CC BY 2.0

Related posts:

1. Choosing the Best Organic Produce
2. Chicken with White Wine and Grapes
3. Soiree Wine Aerator Product Review
4. Introducing the New Green Moms Editor
5. Karafe Wine Game Review