{"id":3737,"date":"2020-01-27T19:14:04","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T00:14:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rdilauro.com\/CarpeVino\/?p=3737"},"modified":"2020-01-28T10:03:11","modified_gmt":"2020-01-28T15:03:11","slug":"organic-vs-natural-wine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rdilauro.com\/CarpeVino\/2020\/01\/27\/organic-vs-natural-wine\/","title":{"rendered":"Organic vs Natural Wine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Organic vs Natural Wines<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Basic Definition and Terms<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

“Organic wine<\/b>” is made with grapes grown on an\u00a0organic<\/b>\u00a0farm\u2014the same way an apple orchard could be\u00a0organic<\/b>. … “Natural wine<\/b>” is a loose term that describes\u00a0wines<\/b>\u00a0made with minimal intervention in the vineyards and in the cellar, but it can be a bit of a misnomer.<\/p>\n

Natural wine<\/b>\u00a0is more of a concept than a well-defined category with agreed-upon characteristics. In its purest form, it is\u00a0wine made<\/b>\u00a0from unadulterated fermented grape juice and nothing else. \u201cPeople think that\u00a0natural wine<\/b>\u00a0is a fad or a new thing, but it’s the traditional way to\u00a0make wine<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cOrganic<\/b>\u201d is a system of farming and food processing, as well as a label. … Sulfites are allowed in small amounts (less than 100 mg\/L (ppm)); this\u00a0wine<\/b>\u00a0cannot be labeled as \u201corganic<\/b>\u201d but can mention the use of\u00a0organic<\/b>\u00a0grapes. 2 \u2013\u00a0wine<\/b>\u00a0made from\u00a0organic<\/b>\u00a0grapes with no added sulfites
\nSimply stated,\u00a0organic<\/b>\u00a0produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. …\u00a0Organic<\/b>\u00a0meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.<\/p>\n

I’ve read so many articles regarding Organic and Natural wines.\u00a0 \u00a0I’ve tasted many of them.\u00a0 My overall opinion so far is that, these wines are not very expensive ($10-$20 range) and the taste is nothing to get excited about (so far)\u00a0 This does not take away from the quality of the wine or the people that make it.<\/p>\n

When I tried explaining this to many customers in the retail wine shop, I tried to keep it as simple as possible, without getting into the details and chemistry behind it.<\/p>\n

Natural Wine\u00a0 <\/strong>The main ingredient (Grape, Fruit, Plant, etc) is allowed to turn to wine naturally without the addition of any yeasts.\u00a0 \u00a0This was the method used in ancient Greek and Roman times.\u00a0 \u00a0Some natural winemakers will add a minimal amount of sulfites.\u00a0 This is required to ensure that the wine stays the same from when it was first bottled until a consumer drinks it
\nWhat it isn\u2019t<\/em><\/p>\n

Organic Wine<\/strong>.\u00a0 \u00a0Many times, I use the phrase Green control.\u00a0 This is very similar to Green Farming.<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0This means there there is\u00a0 NO\u00a0 non-artificial, chemical ingredients added.\u00a0 No artificial fertilizers or insect control can be used. Only natural soil (compost) and minerals can be used and pest control is maintained using other living organisms (such as bees).\u00a0 \u00a0As with natural wines, there always is the addition of minimal amounts of sulfites.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Different countries have different regulations and controls on what can be called organic wines.\u00a0 In the United States the premium control given is Certified<\/strong> wine.\u00a0 There is an intensive certification process that a wine maker must go through to obtain that level.\u00a0 \u00a0Chile, handles this differently.\u00a0 They utilize \u00a0IMO Control<\/a>\u00a0(Institute for Market Ecology).<\/p>\n

Now about the standard normal process of winemaking<\/p>\n

\u201cConventional\u201d<\/strong> winemaking \u2014 shorthand for non-natural wine \u2014 is defined by technical intervention. In the vineyard, that intervention comes in the form of pesticides and herbicides. In the cellar, intervention generally comes in the form of lab-grown yeast (to control the fermentation process and regulate flavor), acid (to increase the wine\u2019s acidity, which in turn can help the wine age better), and sulfites added at the time of bottling (to preserve flavor). Many winemakers also add sugar, which doesn\u2019t make the wine sweet but instead, through turning into alcohol, creates the perception of \u201cbody.\u201d (It\u2019s common practice in Burgundy.<\/p>\n

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Going off topic now!\u00a0 \u00a0 Just the word sulfite brings up so many different discussions.\u00a0 People blame the headaches that get after drinking red wine on sulfites.\u00a0 In reality, white wine has more sulfites than red wine does.\u00a0 \u00a0Also, if you look at sulfite charts on different foods and beverages you will see that wine is always at the very bottom in the amount of sulfites they contain.<\/em><\/span>
\nThere is NO<\/strong> such thing as a wine without sulfites.\u00a0 \u00a0What you will look for are wines that do not contain any ADDITIONAL<\/strong> sulfites.\u00a0 \u00a0But always keep in mind that sulfites are a natural by product of grape fermentation.<\/em><\/span>
\nSo, the next logical question asked\u00a0“Then why do I get headaches after drinking red wine?”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThere are two answers:<\/em><\/span>
\n–\u00a0 \u00a0Antihistamines.\u00a0 Red wine can contain more histamines than white wine.<\/em><\/span>
\nPeople with allergies therefor can get h<\/em>eadaches after drinking red wine.<\/span>
\n–\u00a0 \u00a0Consuming too much wine!<\/span><\/p>\n

There is another method called Biodynamic\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/em>But for the purposes of this discussion, \u00a0I am not going to get into those differences or examples.\u00a0 Thats another topic.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

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Today there is a strong movement\u00a0 to organic and natural products.\u00a0 \u00a0Most people are trying to move to products that overall are better for a person’s health.\u00a0 \u00a0This is very good movement.\u00a0 \u00a0My son, who besides being a professional chef, has a degree in Nutrition.\u00a0 \u00a0One thing he always told me when it comes to products….\u00a0 “If the ingredients label contain more than a handful of items or items that you are hard pressed to identify, then GET RID OF IT”<\/em><\/p>\n

Besides going to my natural and organic foods\/beverages\/etc, there is also a big concern regarding Vegetarians and Vegans.\u00a0 \u00a0But most wines are NOT!<\/p>\n

WHY?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The reason that all\u00a0wines<\/b>\u00a0are\u00a0not vegan<\/b>\u00a0or even\u00a0vegetarian<\/b>-friendly has to do with how the\u00a0wine<\/b>\u00a0is clarified and a process called ‘fining’. … Traditionally the most commonly used fining agents were casein (a milk protein), albumin (egg whites), gelatin (animal protein) and isinglass (fish bladder protein).<\/p>\n

Adding to that, many of the oak barrels use in aging wines are held together by horse glue.\u00a0 So, you have the animal influence right there.\u00a0 \u00a0There are some wines that are aged in OAK that the barrels are not held together by animal glue.\u00a0 One method, is the stainless steel process.<\/p>\n

Here are some wines that can be called 100% vegan<\/p>\n