Ep 518: Biodynamic, Organic, Sustainable, Regenerative Wine (and more) -- the Update

These categories of "better for the earth" wines are technical, tricky, and ever-evolving, so I felt that it was time to do a comprehensive update!

 

In this show, I do best to break it all down in as simple a way as possible…I cover:

• Biodynamics
• Organics
• Sustainable farming
• Regenerative agriculture
• And then, quickly, the loose ends – vegan wine and natural wine

 

I start with an overview of the Pre- and Post- Industrial Revolution types of farming:

Traditional farming is original agriculture, by the industrial revolution introduced inorganic sprays, applications, etc --  most of which were not well developed and had serious side effects.  This type of farming is called Conventional farming. All current eco-methods of farming are reactions to conventional farming

 

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Biodynamic Wine 

I discuss Rudolf Steiner's philosophies and the main principles of biodynamic agriculture – essentially that the farm is a single, self-sustaining organism and the farmer must encourage and guide the vines, as well as protect the soil so it stays healthy and provides nourishment for the vines. ​The main certification for biodynamics is DEMETER. It was founded in 1928, and is the world’s oldest sustainable agriculture organization.

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Organic

Organic farming is traditional farming – this is how farming was always done until the industrial revolution. The new iteration grew out of the biodynamic movement in the 1920s and then experiences more growth in the 1970s. This method took off in the 1970s and 80s, especially in Europe.

Different countries have different definitions of organic…

• European Union Organic Products/”Bio” in France: Organic wine prohibits most synthetic chemicals or GMOs and uses only certified organic oenological products in the cellar, including organic yeast. Sulfites are regulated. Organic wine has the EuroLeaf Logo with a code number of the certifying body or the French AGRICULTURE BIOLOGIQUE label (created in 1985, has been around for longer)
•  United States. This is a program developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). There are prohibitions on the vineyard and the winery, with the biggest difference with European organics: Added sulfites are prohibited. Because of this last prohibition, certified organic vineyards go in and out of the organic certification
• To make it more flexible, they added the “Made with Organic Grapes” stipulation, which is looser 

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Regenerative Organic Agriculture

 

Although relatively new, this is likely the future of better for the earth initiatives. Regenerative starts out with the principles of organic but then adds a few other things. Watch this space…

  

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Sustainable Winegrowing 

This is the most popular way to do better for the earth viticulture but it’s squishy. Sustainable is a catchall term that has MANY definitions. It can refer to production, or it can talk about conserving energy. It can be about good relations with employees, or economic viability of the winery. Some of these certifications are better than others. Here are some examples:

 

France…

HVE: The French Ministry of Agriculture developed the Haute Valeur Environementale

Others...

Vignerons Engages

Viticulture Durable en Champagne

Terra Vitis

 

 And in California... Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing

 

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I end with a quick tour of …Natural wine and Vegan wines

 

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