I have been eating more organic and want to try to add it to my beverages - are there some good organic wines out there? Both red, white and sparkling?
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
Personally, I have been buying organic food for many years, but the issue is more complicated when it comes to wine.
The number of fully organic wines on the market is still limited, and may remain so. To qualify as a "100% organic" wine in the US, all ingredients except for water and salt must be organically produced. This is inherently restrictive since no sulfites can be added in such wines. Sulfites (as sulfur dioxide) are the most universally employed additive both during the winemaking process and in bottled wine to control bacteria and oxidation, among other uses.
Increasingly common are wines from organically-grown grapes, which nevertheless are not fully organic for any number of reasons. At Millesima, we currently stock a number of organically-grown wines such as Chateau Couronneau 2005, a rich, bargain priced red Bordeaux, and Madonna Estate Carneros Pinot Noir 2005. I can also highly recommend the red Loire wines of Domaine Breton (Bourgueil) which we have carried. In addition, you might try the Bonterra line from California and Santa Julia "Organica" varietals (Argentina) which, like the Couronneau and Breton wines, are made with organically certified grapes. There are many others that bear this designation, and the number is likely to increase.
