Among consumers there is some confusion about what an organic wine really is. Terms such as biodynamic or natural are often intermingled with the name of organic, so that the difference between one type of wine and another is not always clear.
since signing Vinissimusthe leading eCommerce in Europe for the sale of Spanish wine online, reveal the keys to distinguishing an organic wine from a traditional one in a simple way.
For a wine to be organic (organic or bio), the vineyard from which it comes must have organic certification that restricts the use of chemical synthesis treatments to combat pests, such as herbicides or fungicides.
However, the use of traditional sulfur and copper sulfate is possible. Fertilizers must be organic and, in general, the aim is to use sustainable agricultural practices that allow the ecosystem to maintain its natural balance and the grapes to acquire a higher concentration of antioxidant substances, highly beneficial for health.
In the winery, certain oenological products are allowed, such as sulfur, acidity correctors or bentonite (a clarifier) although in less quantity than in the production of conventional wines.
An organic wine can be recognized by its label, since it usually bears the organic agricultural production logo on the back (a sun and a moon on a blue background with three diagonal lines) of the autonomous community in which they are made, as well as the green leaf with the edging of stars that certifies organic products at a European level.
Organic production logos. On the left the regional, on the right the European
These seals guarantee that the entire winemaking process has been produced according to ecological standards and the wineries are subjected to annual inspections to verify that this is the case.
“It is important to break the myth by which many consumers associate organic wine with a wine with defects in its aroma or flavor” says Carme Saló, Vinissimus sommelier.
“This is not only not true, but it is almost contrary to reality. It is not always easy to distinguish a conventional wine from an organic wine by tasting, but if they can be distinguished in something, it is in the purity of the sensations they transmit, greater in organic wines, since fewer chemicals are involved in their production that could distort the original flavor of the grape and, therefore, be harmful to our health,” he adds.
