Two concepts have entered the world of wine in recent years which we feel we should update you on; “Natural Wine” and “Sustainability”. Here, therefore, is our take on them with a quick reminder of a couple of other related terms:
Let’s address the concept of Sustainable Wine first, which we should consider alongside Organic and Biodynamic Wine. You could
think of these three terms as representative of increasing levels of commitment
from wine producers towards the environment.
Of the three terms only Organic carries a recognised definition.
The definition of Organic wine (or more accurately wine made
from organically grown grapes) differs slightly from country to country and
it’s the definition of the country of origin that matters, not the country of
sale. Differences tend to be fairly
minor though, with the general acceptance that no synthetic fertilisers,
pesticides or herbicides are ever used in the vineyard. There’s a qualification period of at least 3
years for a vineyard to gain organic certification and you are likely to find a
badge on the back label of the bottle to let you know if a wine has been made
from organically grown grapes. Our usual
caveat applies though in that we have always cautioned that it is perfectly
possible to take a beautiful organically grown harvest of grapes and screw it
up in the winery.
The point about Organic Certification is that producers who work
towards it and qualify do so because they care about the environment and think
that doing so helps produce better fruit.
Although the certification only relates to that which happens in the
vineyard, it is not unreasonable to also conclude that equal care will be shown
at every stage of the winemaking process.
Biodynamic practices tend to exist at a level beyond Organic
and are based on the principles laid down by a chap called Rudolf Steiner. Steiner was an Austrian philosopher and
social reformer who was approached by a group of farmers in 1924 seeking help and
advice on the future of agriculture.
Steiner responded with a series of lectures setting out not only what we
would recognise from the definition of Organic farming practices, but also
going beyond that. Steiner encouraged
the view that a farm should be regarded as an entire self-sustaining organism
with every aspect of its agriculture being both self-supporting and mutually
supportive of every other aspect.
Steiner also proposed that the timing of various
agricultural activities such as pruning, weeding, sowing and harvesting, should
be timed with the phases of the moon and planets to make use of their believed
effects on plant growth. The scientific
jury is still out on several aspects of what Steiner proposed, but those who follow
these practices do claim that they work.
Winemakers who treat the environment with this degree of respect are
surely a good thing, regardless of what you think of the science (or lack of
it) behind that.
Sustainable wine has no formal definition but is a sign that
a winemaker is looking further than simply what happens in the vineyard – it’s
really about being socially responsible in an economically sustainable
way. Running a business with an
environmental conscience if you like.
Lengths taken to reduce packaging, minimise a carbon footprint, recycle
water, clad all the roofs with solar panels, use rechargeable battery powered
fork-lifts and pallet trucks (for instance) could all be considered under the
banner of sustainability. Such steps might
be taken in addition to following organic or biodynamic vineyard practices, and
there are some organisations in some countries that offer formal recognition of
sustainability in wine production.
Central to the concept of sustainability is putting your
workforce at the centre of your production, no longer underpaying itinerant
pickers and warehouse grunts but ensuring training, a regular year round wage
and, in less advantaged parts of the world, making provision of educational and
medical facilities.
You may also have heard the term Natural Wine. It sounds
enticing at face value: who doesn't like the idea of wine that sounds so
redolent of cleanness and purity? Sorry,
it's not as simple as that. There is no
official definition of "natural" but it is generally accepted that it
refers to a “hands off” approach from the winemaker; letting nature do as much
of the work as possible. As long as this
philosophy is in the hands of producers who have deep knowledge of their own
geology, microclimate and fruit, together with a fastidious brilliance in their
winemaking, you should be safe. However,
as produced by growers without the wherewithal and experience to embrace the
whole principle of the idea, it can be a very disappointing experience. Please be assured that Wines of Interest is
not interested in sour wines buried in clay pots for ages and paraded in the
name of tradition as an ancient craft fully in tune with today's
zeitgeist. Or some such marketing crap.
Many winemakers have been doing this for decades before anyone uttered the
words “natural wine”, and many continue to do so without feeling the need to
jump on this fashionable bandwagon and claim their wines to be “natural”. To do so would imply that some wines were
somehow unnatural. Less natural perhaps,
in the case of some of the mass produced examples, but not unnatural. Unnatural would be that fluorescent blue
stuff sold in night clubs… Any wine for
which the sales stich is," Buy me, I'm natural", should be approached
with care and preferably following research.
More recently people do seem to have got something of a bee
in their bonnet regarding the “contains sulphites” wording that first appeared
on wine bottles back in 2002. We have
always maintained that the precise levels of sulphites in any wine should be
stated on the label just as the alcoholic content is, so that consumers could
make a more informed buying decision, but we’re not there yet. Sulphites are actually a natural bi-product
of the fermentation process but winemakers generally add a touch of Sulphur
Dioxide to wines because doing so brings added protection to the wine from
oxidation and bacterial spoilage. Wine left
without this protection is likely to be less stable and spoil more easily but,
as with the other aspects addressed in this blog, it’s all about responsible
viticulture and vinification. You may be
interested to know that sulphites are also widely used in tinned and processed
food, soft drinks and especially dried fruits where the legal limit for their
use is ten times higher than the limit for wine.
So, what should you, as someone who enjoys and appreciates a
glass of wine or two, do with all this information? Organic labels are usually easy to spot, but
there’s no definition or certification for those following biodynamic
practices, or any clues about sustainability.
The solution is to “know your winemaker”. It quickly becomes evident from their general
ethos who the ones are that care for the environment and take a responsible
approach to their activities. You can
bet that if a winemaker demonstrates a highly responsible approach to
viticulture with organic or biodynamic practices in the vineyard he is likely
to be taking a sustainable approach in the winery too, and equally likely to be
leaving his/her wines as natural as possible.
If “knowing your winemaker” still seems a bit distant and
unrealistic the next best thing is to “know your Wine Merchant” so just ask
them (us) instead, they will know who the good guys are… We currently identify
wines made from organically grown grapes on our website (use the drop down box
search facility on the left hand side of the webpage called “other” and select
“organic” before clicking “search”) and you will find references in tasting
notes to those who follow biodynamic practices.
We will also be working towards flagging up those producers who follow
sustainable practices so you’ll be able to pick out those as well in due
course. In the meantime, just ask…
