Organic Wine

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Wine

By Jancis Robinson

Published 2006

  • About

organic wine, wine from grapes produced by organic viticulture and processed (fermented) according to standards for organic winemaking, which, despite increasing harmonization, still vary from country to country, notably regarding the use of sulfur dioxide. From 1992 to 2011 wine produced or sold in the eu from organic grapes had to be labelled ‘wine from organically grown grapes’ rather than simply ‘organic wine’, even if the wines contained no added sulfur dioxide. However, from 2012 new EU rules created the term ‘organic wine’ for all its wines from organic grapes, whether they contained added sulfur dioxide or not, although maximum levels for the great majority that do are 25–35% lower than for conventional wines, depending on wine colour, sweetness, and style.