Organic Wine
100% Organic wine is made from grapes that are organically grown (cultivated without the use of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers and other treatments). It also can not have any added sulfates, which act as a preservative and a stabilizer, although it may contain a small amount of naturally occurring sulfates. Wines that are labeled “organic” can contain up to 5% of ingredients that are not naturally occurring. These wines and wines that are 100% organic can carry the green and white USDA organic label. For organic-style wines that have added sulfates, the label “made with organic grapes” applies. The process of organic certification can be very cumbersome, expensive, and time consuming, therefore many wine producers eschew the USDA certification process and instead produce wines that might qualify as organic, but don’t carry the official USDA label. These wines are sometimes called “natural wines” for the lack of the better term.
