Over the last decade, organic produce has become a hot button item. With the advent of more people looking to make healthier choices as it relates to their diets, we now have multiple options for healthy, organic food and snacks. Similar to choices in food, we now have more options available to us with wine. Gone are the days when the only decision we had to make was whether to drink red or white wine. Now we can add whether to buy organic or non-organic wine to the list of options.
Organic wines have become staples on wine menus across the country. While it represents a small percentage of global sales, it continues to be a growing market for many wine producers. Go into any market and not only will you find a myriad of choices in grape varietals, but you will also be able to make the decision whether your wine will be green or not.
What makes wine organic?
Essentially, what determines whether a wine is organic or not starts with the method by which grapes are cultivated and farmed. First, to be considered organic, grapes are required to be grown and harvested without the use of chemicals and pesticides. Wine must then be made without the use of chemicals or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Only natural fertilizers are permitted to be used and there are restrictions on certain procedures and additives.
Is organic wine better for you?
There is much debate over whether organic wines are better for you than non-organic wines. First, we should dispel the myth that organic wines are somehow “additive free.” Other than the method of growing and cultivation of organic grapes, all wines contain and develop additives through the wine making process. Therefore, the term organic as it relates to wines should not imply that they do not contain any additives at all. Ingredients such as yeast and animal enzymes are used in making organic wines. It would be relatively impossible to make wine without some type of added ingredient, because grapes by their very nature emit certain chemicals such as sulfites in the fermentation process of wine production.
There is a school of thought that wines made from grapes without the use of pesticides and other harmful chemicals promote a healthy environment and ultimately do not pose severe health risks to you as a wine drinker. On the other hand some vintners would argue that they use fungicides and pesticides to kill invasive species of critters that pose severe threats to their beloved vineyards and ultimately to the finished product that ends up on the store shelves and finally on your dinner table. If left open to certain carriers of diseases, vines could be turned into portals of disease carrying mechanisms via your wine glasses. So ultimately when we talk about whether organic wines are “better” for you, it becomes particularly subjective.
The chemical properties in wine contain certain antioxidants such as polyphenols and resveratrol. These chemicals are believed to offer certain health benefits and play an important role in preventing and reducing the progression of diabetes, some cancers and cardiovascular disease. I am in no way suggesting that you should throw away your prescription medications, stop seeing your doctors and starting downing a bottle of wine every day. Wine should not be considered an alternative to proper, needed medical treatment. What I am saying is; enjoyed in moderation, there are certain slight health benefits to wine drinking. To that end, one can surmise that wines made from organic grapes and organic ingredients are better for you than regular wines. Some reasons not to drink regular wines include the following:
-Non-organic grapes may contain toxic pesticides that ultimately end up in your wine;
-Non-organic wines may contain non-organic ingredients and GMOs;
-Non-organic wines may contain more sugar because vintners add sugars to improve taste;
-Non-organic wines may contain other additives and toxic chemicals
Ultimately, how much you consume matters more than the ingredients themselves. After reading this article, you should not go home and throw away your carefully selected bottle of non-organic Cabernet or banish your non-organic, summer Chardonnay to the cardboard box in the basement because it does not bear the coveted “USDA Certified Organic” label carefully created by your favorite vintner. I am also not suggesting that you stop buying regular wines and instead only buy organic wines. Wines by their very nature contain certain chemical compounds that when consumed in moderation, are beneficial to your health in fighting off certain free radicals.
What I am saying is that there are more options available to us as wine lovers that now include organic wines. That should make you feel empowered as you now have more of a say in what you bring home to your table to enjoy with your friends and family!
Remember to drink responsibly and enthusiastically!