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The forever popular wine market—259 million cases of the stuff were imbibed in the US alone in 2006[1]—and the human race have much in common in their diversity: different shades of color, age, nationality, body type, and personality—ever cozy up with a seductive Pinot Noir or party the night away with an effervescent Lambrusco? Increasingly, the vino of your choice—whether it's a young and lively Pinot Gris from Oregon or an aged, complex French Burgundy—are available in eco-friendly varieties.

Often lumped under the banner of "natural wines," it can be oft-bewildering deciding what labels to keep that oenophilic eye trained on while perusing the selection of "green grapes" at ye olde wine shoppe. The quick answer: before you uncork, sniff, and swirl, look for local and/or organic or biodynamic. So set aside that terroir-iffic Shiraz with great legs, whip out those reading glasses, and read on to find out more about the environmental impact of viticulture, an agricultural phenomenon that got its first written mention quite a while back—in the Old Testament.[2].

Organic wine vs. biodynamic wine

Two key words on the discerning tongues of the grape-guzzling community: organic and biodynamic. Although the wine-producing grapes grown under organic and biodynamic standards are similar, there are some distinctions to keep in mind.

Organic wine

Although not an incredibly pleasant fact to digest while unwinding with your preferred fermented digestif, wine-producing grapes are subject to 17 different fumigants, pesticides, and herbicides. In California—by far the most prolific producer of US wines—grapes are treated by more chemicals than any other conventional crop: a whopping 59 million pounds of toxic chemicals in 1995 alone.[3]

Due to bureaucratic conflicts between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s National Organics Standards Board and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) (the federal agency that regulates wine labeling in the US) a limited number of wineries have become producers of Certified Organic wine.[4] Although sales of organic wine totaled about $80 million in the US in 2005, this figure only accounts for about 1 percent of the total domestic wine market. But in tandem with the nascent popularity of organic foodstuffs, the Organic Trade Association expects the market for organic wine to rise significantly—around 17 percent in 2008.[5]

In accordance with standards established by the National Organic Program, wines can claim four varying degrees of "organic-ness" on their labels:

• 100% Organic: The wine must be made from 100 percent organically grown grapes and may not have any added sulfites (for more on sulfites see Related Health Issues below). The wine may have natural sulfites but the level cannot be more than 100 parts per million. Additionally, the labeling must provide information about the USDA-regulated certifying agency as well as an ingredient statement.
• Organic: Guidelines for "Organic" are essentially the same as "100% Organic." However, 5 percent of ingredients can be from a conventional agricultural ingredient that is not organically available; the remaining 95 percent must be organic.
• Made with Organic Ingredients, Made with Organic Grapes, or Organically Grown: To make any of these claims, a wine must be made from at least 70 percent organic ingredients that are identified on the labeling; the remaining 30 percent of ingredients must be conventional agricultural products that are not organically available. Additionally, the labeling must provide information about the USDA-regulated certifying agency but cannot display the official USDA Organic seal. These wines may contain added sulfites along with naturally occurring ones but the total number cannot be more than 100 parts per million.
• Some Organic Ingredients: These wines contain less than 70 percent organic ingredients, cannot display the USDA Organic seal, or refer to organic ingredients or certifying agencies on the labeling.[4]

Biodynamic wine

Although the marriage of pesticide-free farming and astrology may strike some wine-o-philes as arcane (filling cow horns with dung and burying them in vineyards is a recommended practice)[6], those who practice biodymanic—short for "biologically dynamic"—[7] viticulture (and those who imbibe its fermented fruits) praise biodynamic wines to be "beyond organic." Based on the writings of Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, biodynamic agriculture predates organic practices by about 20 years. Steiner believed chemical pesticides and fertilizers to be not only detrimental to the quality of crops but also a sign of a spiritually absent farmer who failed to align him or herself with the cosmos. In its essence, biodynamic viticulture is all about ecological harmony between the grapes, the farmer, and other organisms within the ecosystem.[8]

Biodynamic wines are not certified by the USDA but by independent biodynamic agencies. Demeter International (headquartered in Brussels) is the global biodynamic certifier with a US branch based in Oregon. Biovin is a certifying agency operating strictly in France.[8]

Regional wine vs. imported wine

No matter where you call home, drinking wine produced close to home supports regional agricultural efforts and eliminates the carbon footprint that results from the long trek a bottle may make from vineyard to your grape-loving palate. With wines being produced in
North America, Australia, South America, South Africa, and elsewhere, there is probably wine being produced not far from your home. Californians can especially benefit from the US wine market as around 90 percent of total wine production in the US takes place in California. In 2005, for example, the US produced 714,050,952 gallons of wine; 648,183,911 gallons of that figure came from California's wine-producing regions like Napa Valley and Sonoma County.[9] As of 2005, there were 2,275 wineries in California and 4,929
nationwide.[10] Other US wine-producing regions include Washington, Oregon, Texas, and New York's Long Island and Finger Lakes regions.[11] On a global scale, the United States ranks fourth in wine production behind France, Italy, and Spain.[12]

It is estimated that some bottles of premium vino consume three times their weight in petroleum. It's also been concluded that issues of transport—specifically how the wine was transported—have a greater negative impact on climate change than issues of organic versus non-organic viticulture. For Americans living points west of an imaginary "green line" that runs through Ohio, it's more carbon-friendly to drink wines trucked in from Oregon, Washington, or California. For those living east of the green line, it's thought to be less eco-damaging to imbibe European wines since the wine has traveled via container ship (the most carbon-efficient mode of transport) and then trucked a shorter distance. It's also recommended that grape-guzzlers seek out libations bottled in magnums rather than picking up several normal-sized bottles or half-bottles since the glass to wine ratio of a magnum is less.[13] For more on how the wine trade affects climate change, check out “Red, White and 'Green': The Cost of Carbon In the Global Wine Trade" by Tyler "Dr. Vino" Colman and Pablo Paster.

Controversies

The move toward organic farming has received a fair amount of criticism. Norman Borlaug, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, believes organic farming techniques to be detrimental to the environment. In a December 2006 issue of The Economist he cites that the low yields of organic farming call for the destruction of more land while the use of the synthetic fertilizers allows farmers to harvest vast amounts of, for example, grapes, in a small area of cultivated land.[14] Borlaug received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on high-input crops that have increased world food supply, but has been criticized because of the resultant increase in reliance on monoculture cropping and inorganic fertilizer use.[15]

Related health issues

Wine, when not consumed in moderation, poses several health risks including alcoholism, cirrhosis of the liver, and various cancers. However, sensible drinking—the American Cancer Society defines this as no more than one drink per day for women and two per day for men[16]—of wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages can be beneficial, as it has been found to decrease the fatal effects of heart disease, lowering the likelihood of death by 30 to 40 percent in comparison to nondrinkers.[17]

There are other health perks attached to wine drinking, particularly red wine. It contains beneficial vitamins, minerals, natural sugars, and potassium. Wine also aids in digestion, provides relief to those with sleeping problems, and may help curb dementia and Alzheimer's disease.[18]

Sulfites

Can't shake that pounding "wine headache?" You may be suffering from a sulfite allergy, a sensitivity to a naturally occurring compound in grapes, onions, apricots, garlic, and other plants. Therefore, wines labeled "sulfite-free" are not truly free of them although they may not have added sulfites. Adding sulfites is commonly practiced by winemakers to preserve and protect wine—your bottle of Merlot would turn to vinegar in a few months without them—but those who want to enjoy a glass sans throbbing temples should reach for "young," organic wines free of added sulfites.[19] The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that one in every 100 people has a sensitivity to sulfites.[20]

External links

• Wine Spectator
• Vinography: A Wine Blog
• Fermentation: The Daily Wine Blog
• Organic Wine Journal
• New York Times - When the Wine is Green
• Salon.com - Does organic wine taste bad?
• TreeHugger - Wine Carbon Study Says East Coasters Should Drink French
• MoreThanWaste.com - Wine trade faces key carbon choices
• The Pour A wine blog by Eric Asimov for The New York Times
• Jamie Goode's Wine Blog Web log of famed Brit wine journalist, Jamie Goode. Also check out his main site, the wine anorak
• Gridskipper Wine tourist? Find the best wine stores and bars from Boston to Berlin at Gridskipper.