Responsible Drinking: Organic Wine
It’s Saturday morning and the last wine bottle clatters into the recycling bin. Your head is one throbbing mass and the brain inside simmers in the little liquid your body has managed to conserve. In a matter of hours you will have managed to recover slightly, but the effects of alcohol extend much further than our own bodies. As you wrestle between heading out for a late, greasy breakfast or seeking refuge under the doona, the environment is still recovering from one massive hangover: conventional wine production.
Grapes as a crop are one of the most copiously sprayed with herbicides, pesticides and fungicides all of which, due to the nature of wine production, end up residually in the final product. Where conventional grape growers strip the soil of nutrients and feed their plants with synthetic fertilisers, organic growers seek to create biodynamic ecosystems. By bringing production back to basics, organic growers ensure the longevity and health of their crops. It’s about responsibility and sustainability.
In organic vineyards, cover crops are encouraged to grow. These ‘weeds’ are seen beneficial in providing fibre and deep nutrients to the vines. The soil is fed with organic fertilisers such as compost and manure and revived through cell grazing and major tree planting. Organic grape growers also recognise the importance of fostering a lively ecosystem, where natural predators take care of pests and ensure the health of the vines. In these ways, organic viticulture runs without the aid of the many agricultural chemicals: suspected carcinogens that have the potential to poison waterways. The aim is to redress issues such as soil depletion and erosion, water pollution, the loss of biodiversity, pest resistance and chemical dependence as well as product standardisation.
Strict rules also apply when it comes to organic wine production and storage. Organic vintners pay particular attention to the use of yeasts, the fining and filtration methods as well as the use of preservatives such as sulphur dioxide in the wine. In Australia, organically certified wines contain around 50% less sulphur than conventionally produced wines, whilst in America organic certification requires a wine to be sulphur free. Many winemakers also strive to create their products with minimal artificial energy. Simple solutions such as using a naturally cooler underground cellar for wine storage have been utilised by winemakers like LedaSwan Organic Wines in the Swan Valley and Robinvale wines, in Victoria.
As well as being environmentally sustainable, organic wine production is quality assured with many organic wines gaining accolades and not just confined to the organic section. As well as being beneficial for the palate, organic wines, like organic produce contain higher levels of vitamins and minerals as well as higher levels of the anti-oxidant resverotrol- the compound praised for its cholesterol lowering properties and antioxidants that prevent cell oxidation, linked with preventing cancer. On top of this, many wine connoisseurs, particularly the French, see organic wine as possessing a more authentic regional character. When referring to wines, the ‘terroir’ - the individuality of a wine as a product of a specific vineyard, is truer in an organic wine. No synthetic help (fertilisers, chemical etc.) seems to equate to a wine with real personality.
So whether it be a Sauvignon Blanc or a Shiraz, drinking an organic drop could reward your palate, your health and the health of the environment. Perhaps the best part is, unlike most organic fare the price difference is barely noticable.
