For the past week, I have been researching the many differences between sustainable, organic and biodynamic principles as they relate to wine and vineyards. There are so many buzz words floating around out there, it can be hard to keep them all straight. This is why I decided to put out a bit of information that might make it easier to make decisions on which type wine to buy (sustainable, organic or biodynamic) when you are at your local store.
Those of us who are interested in organic "stuff" are interested in not ingesting pesticides and herbicides and heaven-only-knows-what-else-cides into our bodies. Natural is good, right? So when faced with wine made from a "sustainable" vineyard, an "organic:" wine and a "biodynamic" wine, which do we choose?
Sustainable vineyards, or wineries that use sustainable practices in their vineyards take the ecology of their vineyard into account when making decisions. They typically minimize chemical treatments and energy use. While there are no set standards for sustainable farming, this seems to be the norm for wineries that give a hoot about the environment. In fact, you may find that a lot of wineries that simply call themselves "sustainable" are actually organic--they just may choose not to go through the long and somewhat drawn out process of becoming Certified Organic. This is definately something to think about (--and maybe research if you have certain wines you like that carry the sustainable label).
Organic wine is made from organic grapes. Organic grapes have not been sprayed or treated with chemicals at all--ever. This means no pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. Also, it means no chemical fertilizers have been used. If the label says that your wine is Certified Organic, then that winery has met stringent standards by a governing body like the USDA to earn that label. Something to keep in mind: organic certification means different things in different countries. If you are buying organic wine from somewhere other than the US, be sure to check into what exactly their version of organic means so you are making an informed choice.
There is a whole side debate in the organic community over sulfites and organic wines. This is another (big) subject for another day, however, suffice it to say that the organic wines in the US may not contain added sulfites. Wineries that do add sulfites to their otherwise organic wines are not able to put the certified organic seal on their bottles. These wines will simply claim to be "made from organic grapes".
Biodynamics is what I have been really geeking out about this last week....errr... *cough* I mean I've been sort of interested in it. :) This is a process of winemaking...from absolute start to finish using the teachings of Austrian anthroposophist Rudolf Steiner. Steiner spent his life studying the forces that regulate life and growth. In 1924, the basic principles of biodynamic farming were created. Since then, it has been gaining popularity as people in the wine community notice that it really does seem to work wonders in a vineyard.
The basic idea of biodynamic farming is to see the soil and the vineyard as living organisms. Maintenance of that soil is the primary means by which the vineyard will progress and evolve. Demeter Biodynamic Certification is given only to those wineries that follow the strict principles of biodynamic farming--by using organic soil treatments on the land, which in turn, becomes a healthy and diverse ecosystem of its own. Obviously there is a lot more to it than that....and it would take several articles to delve completely into all the principles used in biodynamic farming, but suffice it to say, it is fascinating.
On a side note, I just tried some of Montinore Estates wines (biodynamic) and they are excellent. Look for more info on this great winery in my next article!
No comments:
Post a Comment