Organic wine, or vin bio, is wine whose production follows organic farming standards. To earn this label, an organic wine must respect organic farming both in viticulture (in the vineyard) and in winemaking (once in the cellar). If you’re asking yourself what an organic wine is, you’re in the right place! We’ll answer all your questions about organic wine.
Definition of organic wine
The definition of organic wine appeared in 2012. That’s the precise moment when it was decided to take into account practices both in the vineyard and in the cellar. So organic wine means respecting good practices throughout the whole chain of production and winemaking. The rules for producing organic wine are set out in a set of organic farming guidelines.
These guidelines prohibit certain practices. For example, dealcoholization and electrodialysis are banned. That said, it’s still possible to add sulfites or wood chips to organic wine.
Why does organic wine contain sulfites?
Wine contains sulfites: that’s a statement you’ll often see on the label of a bottle. For organic wine, however, the accepted level of sulfites is lower than in conventional wines. A maximum sulfite content of 100 mg per litre is allowed for organic red wine and 150 mg per litre for organic white wine. These limits have nothing to do with those allowed in natural wine.
Organic wine production
Organic wine production has been growing strongly year after year. In 2019, organic wine accounted for 12% of the usable agricultural area (SAU in French). That represents 94,000 hectares, up by more than 20% in a single year. Such growth is particularly encouraging and gives a real sense of how organic wine is developing in France. You can find organic Bordeaux, as well as organic Burgundy, and wines in the Languedoc and Alsace. Organic wine is on a constant rise across the whole country. This growth of organic wine in France shows no sign of stopping. In 2018, the area in conversion grew by 63%, which bodes well for continued growth of organic wine.
France has nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to its place in global organic wine production. The French vineyard is the world’s third-largest producer of organic wines, after Spain and Italy.
Organic wine consumption
Organic wine is winning over more and more consumers. According to a study by the Agence Bio, nearly one French person in two would like to see a wider range of organic wines. For 41% of French people, the organic character of a wine is a buying criterion. It’s a criterion that matters even more among younger consumers. You can find the full study on the Agence Bio website.
It’s worth noting that the rise of organic wine in French consumption is far from over. As Krystel Lepresle, general delegate of Vin et Société, points out in our wine podcast, the consumption habits of new generations are shifting more toward organic wine. All across France, you can even see trade shows and tastings dedicated solely to organic wine appearing and growing. So if you want to taste organic wine and discover this world, you now know where to go.
