First, a basic overview of the terms. There’s a difference between organic wine and wine grown with organic grapes. Wines carrying the “made with organic grapes” label constitute the majority of certified wines in the United States. It means the viticulturalist — the person who grew the grapes — used no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or fungicides.
But the winemaker may have added sulfites, which kill off unwanted wild yeast and bacteria, and chemical clarifiers. Wine that is labeled simply “organic” is made with organic grapes and has no added chemicals.
Winemakers can also obtain “biodynamic” certification through Demeter, a nonprofit that has trademarked the term. Biodynamic wines must satisfy the same requirements as wines made with organic grapes. Unlike the “organic” label, however, biodynamic certification is not backed by the federal government. Demeter also imposes a variety of other standards. Biodynamic winemakers must use natural pest controls, such as ladybugs, and must supply a certain amount of their fertilizer from within the farm itself. The idea is to make the vineyard a biologically active, self-sustaining operation. Biodynamic wines may contain sulfites, but not synthetic clarifiers.
“Natural” wines have earned a certain cachet in the wine world. They’re supposed to involve as little human intervention as possible. However, because the term is completely unregulated, it’s very difficult to determine what role synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or winemaking chemicals played in the growing, fermenting or bottling processes.
With all other factors held equal, wine that is organic, made with organic grapes or biodynamic is better for the environment than its industrial shelf-mate. But the impact difference is smaller and more variable than you might think — and somewhat difficult to measure.
Organic winemaking practices have only a small impact on greenhouse-gas emissions, according to a 2009 paper in the Journal of Wine Research, in large part because even organic growers need some kind of fertilizer. Instead of synthetics, they use composted manure or plant matter, and a lot of it. Researchers at University of California at Davis compared organic and conventional chardonnay grapes planted in Sonoma Valley. They found that the organic vines required about 80 times as much fertilizer, by weight, as their conventionally grown counterparts. That material has to be shipped in from beef and dairy operations or nearby farms, which usually takes as much as or more energy than manufacturing and delivering the synthetic stuff.
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