Is there anything better than a tall glass of wine come wintertime? In the spirit of hibernation, and taking it a little slower than usual, we give some love to the heart-warming, ‘always-a-good-idea,’ bottle of wine. A facilitator of friendship, love, healing and a really good time (all in moderation of course!) there is something sacred about the ancient act of raising a glass. Naturally, we lean into the organic types with a preference for a funky orange or pinot noir slash pinot grigio blend for ultra-easy drinking.
Yet to convert to the natural side? Here’s a few reasons why we love organic wine.
1. Less Sulphur Dioxide
Organic wine contains half the maximum legal limit of sulphur dioxide (220) – a common preservative in wine that is used to inhibit or kill unwanted yeasts and bacteria, and the main culprit for those shocking hangovers. This said, drink enough of anything and you’re bound to feel it the next day!
2. Better for the Ecosystem
This is another plus one for the “organic wine” camp. There are real, tangible and lasting benefits to the environment and the farmers as a result of transitioning to organic farming practices.
An organic wine is a wine made from grapes that have been grown without the use of artificial or synthetic chemicals, such as herbicides and pesticides. To keep the weeds and bugs at bay, organic farmers work with nature, rather than against it, by boosting their vineyard’s biodiversity. For example, they introduce cover crops to provide a habitat for beneficial insects that are the natural enemy of problem species, or have small sheep graze between the vine rows, eating the grass and weeds. In this way, the vineyard becomes a self-regulating, natural ecosystem, which is able to combat problems intrinsically and eliminates the need for artificial, and potentially toxic, chemicals.
Further to this, by using less water and not tainting the existing water supply with chemicals and Round-Up, the vineyard workers are doing their part to leave the earth as healthy, if not healthier, than they found it.
3. Tastes Better!
For most people, the choice to drink an organic wine usually comes down to taste. As with most organic produce, be it beef, eggs, apples or broccoli, the flavours are inherent, complex, pure and delicious. Organic food nourishes you in a way that no conventionally grown food can, and the same can be said of organic wine. Many sommeliers love serving these types of wines in their restaurants because they taste great, and compliment their food.
Not sure where to start? Some of our favourite organic wine merchants include P&V (Newtown and Paddington), Native Drops (Bondi Beach), Luna (Byron Bay) and Natural Order Wine.
