Make Mine Organic!
By Barbara Ensrud
From PARADE Magazine
November 13, 2005 Edition
Early organic wines ranged from weak and weird to downright awful. Today, happily, good organic wines not only are increasingly available—some of them are exceedingly good. There are two categories to note:
Organic. To be called “organic,” a wine must be made from organically grown grapes: No pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers or other synthetic products are used in the vineyard, and no sulfites are added to the wine. Minute quantities of sulfur dioxide (SO2), a natural form of sulfur released during fermentation, exist in all wines and may sometimes exceed the tiny legal maximum of 10 parts per million (ppm). If none are added, however, the label may say “No Sulfites Added” or “NSA.”
Organically Grown. Wines simply made from organically grown grapes have smaller amounts of sulfites (40-100ppm) than are permitted for conventional wines (350ppm). Their labels must state “Contains Sulfites,” as do organic wines from Europe, which are allowed up to 50ppm—so labels on imports cannot say “Organic.”
Though today’s winemakers use smaller amounts of SO2, its antioxidant properties allow the wine to last longer, be more stable for travel and develop more character and flavor, as good wines should. Organic wines are best consumed very young—within two or three years—since the fruit may not hold up as long as in wines with a little added sulfur.
The wines recommended here not only taste good but also give new meaning to the time-honored toasts “To your health!” “Salud!” and “A votre santé!”
Organic Wines Worth Trying [among the wines listed were:]
- Frey Vineyards 2002 Organic Petite Sirah NSA
- Frey Vineyards 2004 Organic Chardonnay
- Frey Vineyards 2003 Organic Zinfandel
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