What do the certifications mean?

The main categories, in increasing rigor, are sustainable, organic, biodynamic and, more recently, Certified B Corp and Regenerative Organic Certified. Sustainable certifications promote reduced use of chemicals, as well as other practices to preserve water, promote pest management and emphasize employee welfare. You may see labels such as Sustainable in Practice (SIP), a California program, or more regional icons such as Lodi Rules (Certified Green). Organic certification is stricter in its prohibition of synthetic chemicals, but the terminology gets tricky. The U.S. Agriculture Department reserves its USDA Organic label for wines made without any additives, including sulfites, a natural preservative widely used to prevent wine from spoiling in the bottle. So you will more often see a secondary claim, “made from organically grown grapes,” a claim focusing on vineyard practices. California Certified Organic Farmers, or CCOF , is a major certifier. Based on the views of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), biodynamics focuses on the farm as an ecosystem. If you see a winery featuring sheep in the vineyard, plowing with horses instead of tractors, or spraying compost “teas” to nurture the vines, that’s biodynamics. Certification comes from an organization called Demeter or a rival group in Europe called Biodyvin. Biodynamic farming is not limited to viticulture, but we see it almost exclusively in wine. In recent years, several wineries have attained Certified B Corp status, which focuses on social responsibility as well as environmental factors. Regenerative Organic Certified is the newest, aiming to capture carbon in the soil and becoming “net positive” rather than just reducing emissions. B Corp and ROC are not just wine certifications — they encourage good corporate citizenship by businesses of all sorts.

Are other countries’ certifications the same as in the U.S.?

They are roughly equivalent, though not always identical. Demeter, B Corp and ROC certifications promote similar standards internationally. The European Union’s Ecocert bestows organic certification even if a wine has a small amount of added sulfites, unlike the USDA Organic label. France recognizes Haute Valeur Environnementale , or “high environmental value,” and recently announced a certification for natural wines. Agriculture Biologique is an organic certification by France’s INAO, the organization that determines appellation status. While these certifications may differ somewhat, they tell us that a producer is making wine in an environmentally conscious way.

Why aren’t more wines certified eco-friendly?

Only 6.2 percent of the world’s vineyard acres in 2019 were certified organic, according to the International Organization of Vine and Wine, or OIV. That seems paltry, but the total increased 13 percent annually since 2005, mostly because organic certifications are relatively new. So the movement is gaining. Many growers may not seek certification because of the expense and the paperwork. They may also want to keep nonorganic methods available to save their crops in a difficult vintage. Certain regions — such as the Eastern United States — face climate-related disease pressures that make certification extremely difficult. That doesn’t mean they aren’t farming with the planet in mind. Certification, though, offers accountability. “It’s great that many growers [and farmers] are pursuing organic or biodynamic practices without any goal of becoming certified,” Jason Haas, general manager of Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles, Calif., wrote a few years ago when the winery attained Demeter certification. “The more people who are farming in an Earth-friendly way, the better. But at the same time, certification gives an outside validation that your practices aren’t lip service, and are being applied consistently and rigorously.”

What can consumers do?

Be leery of greenwashing claims of “clean” or “better for you” wines, especially if they make health claims. Assertions of responsible farming can be meaningless when not backed by a third-party certification. We can research our favorite wineries’ practices, or we can take their word for it. Or we can decide not to care. Either way, our choices will have impacts.

Wine eco-certifications: What they mean and how to read them

Perspective by Dave McIntyre

Columnist, Food

April 14, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. EDT

Various environmental certifications for wine include, clockwise from top left: Agriculture Biologique; Group Ecocert; SIP Certified; CCOF Certified Organic; Biodyvin; Lodi Rules's' California Rules Certified Green Sustainable Winegrowing; USDA Organic; Regenerative Organic Certified; and Demeter Certified Biodynamic (Agriculture Biologique; EU Organic; SIP Certified; CCOF; BIODYVIN; LODI Winegrape Commission; USDA; B Lab Company; Regenerative Organic Certified and Biodynamic Agriculture)

As children, my generation was taught to stamp our imprint on the world, to make an impact. Today, we are urged to reduce our footprint, minimize the impact of our actions or purchases, and consider not just our personal pleasure or profit but also the well-being of others and the planet. The individual is no longer king, and the profit motive is no longer our guiding force.

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Okay, wishful thinking. But this paradigm shift is happening, and it can influence our perspective on wine. Do we simply want the best, most highly rated cult wines? Maybe just the cheapest that we can quaff copiously and comfortably? Or do we favor wines from producers who farm their vineyards and market their wares in a way that helps the environment and fights the effects of the climate crisis?

Spoiler alert: I’m firmly in that third camp. Careful farming, which is usually environmentally friendly, often produces wines that are more lively, energetic, expressive and downright delicious. We should seek them out.

But how can we tell which wines are made this way? Marketers would have us drinking so-called “clean” wines as if they were a cure-all magic potion. More reliably, various certifications appear on wine labels. Even these can be confusing and, unfortunately, political. Here are a few things to consider while you’re scanning wine labels.