Organic wine isn't nearly as straightforward as, say, fruits and vegetables. This is because there is a distinction between the grape growing process, which can be organic, and the winemaking process, which many times is not. Keep on reading as we try to clear up some of the confusion as well as give you our picks for the best wines in this category!
First, off to be labeled as fully organic a wine must not only use organically grown grapes, but also avoid the use of any synthetic additives such as sulfites in the winemaking process. (This does not mean these wines do not contain any sulfites at all as ALL wines have naturally occurring sulfites unless they are removed, which is not common.) There are a growing number of wines out there that use both organic grapes and an organic winemaking process, but they are nowhere near commonplace as of yet.
Much more common, and most of the recommendations you'll find in the list below, are those wines made from organically grown grapes. This means there were no synthetic pesticides or herbicides used in the vineyard. To qualify for the official USDA designation of "Made with Organic Grapes" there are also some limits on the additives that can be used in the winemaking process, although it is not as strict as fully organic wines.
One last note before we get to our picks. Organic is not to be confused with the terms "natural", "biodynamic", "sustainably produced" (or even vegan) that you may also find on many wine labels. To make matters even more confusing, even if a label doesn't state that the wine or grapes are organic, there are other associations besides the USDA that monitor these practices but are not allowed on the label. In addition, some wineries have been following organic practices for decades but simply do not bother to be labeled as such as the cost to become official is simply not worth it!
In light of all this we encourage you, as always, to dig beyond the label. While you can be sure any wine with the USDA Organic label is indeed organic, that's probably only the tip of the iceberg. We will always include all the information we can possibly find in our wine reviews.