Many people want to know what makes organic produce, or more specifically, organic wine, different to the conventional wine we buy on the shelf. Well here you can get a basic idea of what organic winemaking entails.
In a wine cellar, the phrase “organic” refers to the fact that there is minimal use of processing and artificial chemical additives in the winemaking process. There are three main aspects to winemaking which are different in organic wine making; the use of yeast, the filtration method and the use of sulphur dioxide.
Organic farming methods reduce the need for cultured yeasts, since the natural yeasts remain present in the grapes because no weed killing chemicals or insecticides are used on the vines. Care is taken to keep filtration to the minimum.
Sulphur dioxide use is especially important and monitored accordingly, although it is near impossible to produce a wine that will keep well without the minimal addition of sulphites, since the naturally produced sulphites are just not enough. This is especially the case with organic white wine, which go through the fermentation process without their skins, organic red wine is fermented with the skins, giving colour, tannins and providing a natural preservative… reducing the need of additional sulphites.
Organic wines are usually certified as such, with ECOCERT or BIOFRANC being two of the certifying authorities. Conventional wines contain up to three times the amount of SO2 contained in organic wines. The limit for SO2 content in organic wine is usually around 100 parts per million.
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Source: www.articlecity.com
