Honest Wine: Should I Buy Certified Organic?

Back in 2014, I visited Italy for a business trip and spent a relaxing afternoon in the vineyards with Elena Nicodemi. Elena represents a second-generation, family-owned winery dedicated to organic practices without using chemical herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers. As a conscious consumer, does this snippet on her farming philosophy resonate with you?

Let’s talk organics! Is there a difference between organic wine and wine made with organic grapes? What is the difference between practicing organic and certified organic?

As I started writing this organic wine post, I coincidentally watched an episode of Portlandia that happened to be poking fun at the culture obsessed with organic living. In this episode, a couple visits a restaurant and begins to order an organic chicken off the menu. The waitress informs them that the chickens are from a local farm, even detailing what the chickens eat. At one point, they decide they need to visit the establishment themselves, ensuring it's not just marketed as a wholesome, organic farm. They leave the table in the middle of ordering to visit said farm. It is wildly absurd and hilarious.

I have to admit; though, the Portlandia couple's concern over the authenticity of organic claims is quite justified. Nowadays, almost any store item can gain marketing credibility by highlighting an organic ingredient. Many times, the rest of the ingredients are not so great. I certainly have fallen for it. And of course, I’ve later thought - what am I actually consuming? Similarly, wine labels can be misleading if we don’t probe further and seek more information.

Let’s clarify a few things first. Wine is made up of two parts. Grape growing and winemaking. According to the USDA website, a certified organic wine has upheld strict standards in the vineyard AND winery. Great! Very much on board if a winery can achieve this. Alternatively, “Made with organic grapes” certifies the grapes upheld to strict and organic standards in the vineyard, but not necessarily in the winemaking process. Any number of additives from the National Approved List can still be implemented during the winemaking of these ‘organic grapes’. Sooo maybe a little more insight is needed on these wines.

But a wine boasting loudly, ‘MADE WITH ORGANIC GRAPES’ is still a good thing, right?
Ensuring grapes are grown without synthetic fertilizers and in an environmentally friendly manner is notable and something I look for in wine. Any wine made with organic grapes certainly stands to be a much better choice than many other wines available on the market. However, if you see a mass-produced wine flooding your social media with flashy organic claims, it might be capitalizing on the wellness trend rather than prioritizing authenticity and quality. What other information are you given about the region and the philosophy of winemaking? A wine description tag on the shelf can quickly unpack all the goodness in a wine. Believe me, I spent decades adding these shelf tags to bottles in shops. If you aren’t getting clear, honest answers then this may be merely a “clean wine” promotion. Alder Yarrow, a renowned wine blogger at Vinography, addressed concerns about clean wine claims in this post a few years ago. He criticized a highly publicized celebrity wine labeled “Made with Organic Grapes,” noting that such wines often have more additives than many small-production winemakers would consider using.

Small or micro wineries often practice organic farming and produce excellent, honest wine. Because their focus is on the vineyard, achieving certification in some instances can take time. Ironically, some of the artisanal wines that are not certified organic are the better choice. For the better part of my twenties, I represented several family-owned wineries from Italy, Spain, and France. I traveled across the country to share their stories with distributors, restaurants, shops, and consumers. Many of these wineries focused on the connection between the grapes and the land their families had cultivated for generations. While they practiced organic methods, many were not yet certified. They didn’t have the luxury of marketing these organic practices on the label. Let’s circle back to my friend Elena Nicodemi who I introduced in the beginning. As the Nicodemi philosophy states, “If you let yourself be guided by Nature, wine becomes the mirror of the land and of the soul of its maker. Wine must express the land, vine, and culture.” Nicodemi practiced organic farming methods for years before becoming officially certified with the 2019 vintage.

While certification is ideal, I don’t recommend making it the sole factor in your purchasing decision. Thankfully, many boutique wine shops recognize organic farming and a purer approach to winemaking. Especially when it is deserved for their commitment to producing good, honest wine. Take, for example, Peter Granoff, a Master Sommelier in San Francisco who runs several shops across the Bay Area, including Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant in San Francisco and Oxbow Cheese & Wine in Napa. For online shoppers, he narrows down selections to make it easy to find organic and biodynamic wines. Here are the qualifications he uses: Is the winery committed to organic practices AND are the wines honest and true to the region? One of my favorite wines, which is not certified, is credited by Granoff for its organic farming. He highlights everything about the wine, from the family and vineyards to the region.

My favorite wines always reflect modest production, a sense of place, respect for the environment, and a lot of soul. For me, the best answer to this organic discussion is to seek wines that embody organic farming practices (certified or not) and minimal intervention winemaking… with full disclosure on all.