Understanding Organic Wine

Interest in organic food is growing substantially, and wine is no exception. Many wine consumers now actively look for organic wines. This begs the question - "what is an organic wine?"

USDA NOP

The USDA's National Organic Program (NOP):

Develops, implements, and administers national production, handling, and labeling standards for organic agricultural products.

Accredits the certifying agents (foreign and U.S.) who inspect organic production and handling operations to certify that they meet USDA standards.

Wine is both an agricultural product and an alcoholic beverage. As such, it comes under the jurisdiction of two U.S. regulatory organizations - the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF).

The USDA regulates the production, handling, and labeling requirements for organic wine under its NOP program (see the sidebar to the right). The ATF gets involved by stipulating that all label approvals filed with the ATF must comply with USDA NOP requirements. USDA NOP stipulates 4 levels of labeling for wine:

1. 100% Organic - Wine made from 100% organically grown grapes and other organic ingredients with no added sulfites and naturally occurring sulfites of less than 20 parts per million (PPM).
2. Organic - Wine made from 95% organically grown grapes and other organic ingredients with no added sulfites and naturally occurring sulfites of less than 20 parts per million (PPM).
3. Made With Organic Ingredients - Wine made from at least 70% organic grapes and ingredients that may includes added sulfites.
4. Some Organic Ingredients - Wine made with less than less than 70% organic ingredients

Other ingredients used in the wine making process such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), yeasts, bentonite or egg white gases are not approved for use in "organic" wines. As a result, most wines are not considered organic by NOP's definitions. That is why you may see the designation "made from organically grown grapes" - the grapes are organic but the wine is not because of ingredients used in the wine making process.

Any "organic" product must include on its label the certifying agency that certified the product to be organic.

A Note About Sulfites

Organic does not mean that a wine is sulfite free. All wine that contains more than 10 PPM of sulfites, whether added or natural, must carry the label "Contains Sulfites." A "sulfite free" wine must have no detectable levels of sulfites.