Organic Red wine: Heart Healthy

What Makes Organic Wine Organic? (Source: http://www.thedailygreen.com)

There’s a lot of confusion over organic wines, and for good reason. Grapes can be certified organic, as can entire vineyards or the wineries themselves. But even wines made from organically grown grapes can’t always be labeled as “organic wine” – if sulfites, which can be naturally occurring or added – exceed certain concentrations. By law, 100% organic is as pure as it gets, but a wine can be labeled “organic” even if it is 90% organic – but only if those sulfite concentrations are low. And, a vineyard can’t label its grapes organic until it’s completed three growing seasons without using chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

Adding to the confusion, some winemakers fear that buyers perceive organic wines as being lower in quality, so even if they’re growing their grapes and making their wines to highest organic standards, they may not want to label their bottles as such.

For the purposes of this feature, we’re lumping all the aforementioned together. If it meets USDA organic standards – for 100% organic, plain-old organic, or “made with organically grown grapes” – whether the winemaker trumpets the fact or not – we’re highlighting it. But only if we’ve tasted it and believe it deserving of your table.

We have all the details on what makes organic wine organic, so delve in for more details. Or continue perusing this feature for the lowdown on some of our favorite “organic” wines.

My Note: Grapes are heavily sprayed, so organic wine makes sense, since the convcntration of pesticides would seem to be higher in the wine itself.