Color me organic

A couple of years ago, my then-roommates and I were in the habit of having friends over to our modest (tiny) space once or twice a month, over 6 or so bottles of wine and conversations that grew increasingly silly as the glasses emptied. Though these were meant to be beginning-of-the-night stops, they more-often-than-not ended with several of us curled up on the floor cushions with no desire to pursue any further bar-hopping or other exciting social engagements.

One such night I was able to convince the roommates it would be a good idea to do only organic wines; everything else is going green, why not go green with the wine, too? And so I asked for some favorite picks at the store, came back with the standard collection of a half-dozen bottles, and excitedly served them up.

What exactly makes a wine organic? Well, just as with foods at the supermarket, there are certifying bodies, but the term is not a clear-cut indication as to how a wine is produced. A wine "made from organically grown grapes" may not necessarily be an "organic wine," and must be labeled accordingly. The difference here is simply because an "organic wine" can have no sulfur added during winemaking process, a step that aids in the aging of wine as it reacts with oxygen in the bottle to prevent the wine from oxidizing before the cork has been removed. Those with sulfite sensitivities (like one of my old roommates) may prefer organic wines for this reason.

By the time we had worked our way up to the fourth bottle of the evening, one of our friends took a sip, and remarked that it "tasted like green earth." Organic wines are sometimes criticized for relying on the certification as a marketing gimmick while sacrificing the integrity of bottles produced. Of the organic wines I've tasted, at this particular tasting and since, I would have to agree that there is a whole range of quality to be found amongst the organic wines. There's no specific advantage, taste-wise, for choosing an organic wine over one otherwise labeled. Even with concern over production practices though, it may not be a meaningful difference as all quality grape growers should be focused on practices that extend the life of their soil. Most of the agricultural methods employed to create prime growing conditions are already fairly sustainable.

What makes the whole business even more confusing is the parallel growth in popularity of biodynamic wines. These merit a post of their own. In summary, biodynamic wines are similar to organic wines in production methods but employ an even more holistic, philosophical approach to growing - preparations involve burying cow manure in horns or adding wildflowers to compost that is spread on the vineyards. My brief take on both? Organic and biodynamic wines are best for those who are primarily concerned with the many steps to winemaking that occur before grapes are even harvested.

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Tasted: 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Mauritson, Dry Creek

More on certification:
California Certified Organic Farmers