Organic Wine: The Inside Story

Hi all!

We have all heard periodically about the health benefits of a glass of red wine daily. The following article and its title attracted my attention and I thought it was well worth sharing with you, to complement others dealing more specifically with Foods claimed to be good or bad for you. Enjoy and Have a Great weekend!

A Votre Bonne Sante! (To Your Good Health!)

Jacques

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What Exactly is Organic Wine?
Make your drink as healthy as your meal.
By Beth Farrell

In a world striving to be more eco-friendly, the prevalence and awareness of organic foods is growing. With this comes the increasing popularity of organic wine, and you may wonder what exactly sets it apart from traditional wine. Simply put, organic means there were no pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or chemical-based fertilizers used in the grape-growing process. But it also goes a little further.

Certified Organic Wine

These are wines labeled "Certified Organic," which means the grapes were grown in Certified Organic conditions and the wine contains no added sulfites. Sulfiltes are often used as a preservative during the wine-making process and they can also occur naturally during the fermentation process. Natural sulfites are allowed in Certified Organic wines but cannot exceed 20 parts per million.

Made from Organically Grown Grapes

Wine in this category means the grapes were grown in certified organic conditions, with no pesticides or synthetics. In other words, the grapes themselves are Certified Organic, but the wine is not. These wines are allowed to have added sulfites along with the naturally occurring kind. An example of this would be the 2001 Croze Hermitage Jacques Frelin, made with 100% Certified Organic grapes.

Biodynamic Wine

This is a Certified Organic wine made with grapes grown in accordance with biodynamic farming. Biodynamic farming is a technique introduced in the 1920's by the German philosopher Rudolf Steiner. It is a type of organic farming with a strong focus on the ecological and spiritual balance of farming in relationship with the earth.

By law, all organic claims need to be stated on the wine label, so be sure to read it carefully. This way you will know exactly what type of organic wine you are purchasing.

Courtesy: MindBodySanctuary Newsletter