WINE FARMING PRACTICES
ORGANIC
- This term refers to the vineyards and if the grapes are grown organically (no fertilizer or pesticides, etc.). Being certified organic is very expensive and many of our producers are too small to afford such designations. If a producer says that they are practicing organic, we believe them and are designated as such on the list.
- FAQ: No, organic does not mean the wine will taste better than non-organic grapes. It is much more complicated than shopping at Whole Foods vs the low end grocery store.
Biodynamic
- Biodynamic is basically extreme organic. All biodynamic vineyards are organic but also employ practices such as harvesting according to moon cycles, planting other things around the vines to enrich soils, etc. This is considered the best/highest quality farming possible.
Sustainable
- These vineyards are not organic but do take measures to farm responsibly and sustainably to not ruin the earth.
Conventional
- This is a nice way of saying “not organic.” They are probably using fertilizers and pesticides or get their grapes from so many different places that likely some of them are organic and some are not. We carry very few wines with this designation, and they are typically larger producers.
Unknown
- This means the farming practice could not be found. This likely means it’s conventional but again, many of our producers are so small they don’t have websites with tons of information.
Natural
- This word is VERY tricky, not clearly defined, and often misunderstood/misused. Therefore, it is not designated on the list. It technically refers not only to organically grown grapes but how the wine is made in the winery (mostly what kind of yeast is used and added sulfites). If a wine is not made “naturally” that doesNOT mean it is full of sulfites and preservatives. If a guest is asking for natural wine, I would avoid a discussion on natural wines and simply direct them to which of our wines are organic.
Again, we intentionally select wines from smaller producers that take a minimal intervention approach to their winemaking
- FAQ: Natural wines do not always taste better than non-natural wines. In fact, many times natural wines have odd flavors because there is so little control over what kind of yeast is used or the wine spoils easily. Instead of “guiding” the wine, it just runs wild and ends up strange.
Sulfites
- Sulfites are a wine preservative that occur naturally or can be added to a wine. If a guest asks for a wine with no sulfites (they usually claim to be allergic or that it gives them bad hangovers), direct them to an organic wine. Technically no wine is sulfite free because it is created naturally during the winemaking process. However, some wineries also add it and some add way more than others. And it's usually the big producers/conventional farmers that add the most, so steer clear of those.