Drinks are a lot of people’s way of socialising. Whether it be over beer or champagne, people love to talk over alcohol. What is important to check is whether or not you are drinking the best organic wine or the non-organic one.

Wines are commonly chosen as the drink for intimate occasions; friends meeting to talk about life, or lovers enjoying a date for the third time. What is not common is the knowledge that there are organic and non-organic wines.

What is a natural organic wine?

Organic produce is any produce that doesn't involve anything chemical during production. These chemicals include fertilisers, pesticides, and other artificial mixed agents. The best organic wine is essentially a wine product that is produced using organic ingredients. This doesn’t mean that the wine itself doesn’t have additives. There are a few additives that are essential in the production of wine such as animal enzymes and yeast. Natural organic wine can be vegan, but this is not always the case.

Pictured: Qvevri filled with crushed grape juice and skins, just before being sealed of for fermentation.

What are non-organic wines?

The polar opposite of the best organic wine or natural organic wine are non-organic wines. This means that non-organic wines are made using inorganic ingredients. Non-organic wines are more common than organic wines because vineyards usually utilise pesticides to keep their grapes healthy and without pests. Fungicides are also frequently used to ward off and kill invasive species.

Organic wines is a trend that is exponentially growing since the rise of the movement which pushes for an organic type of living. There are people who strongly believe in the effectiveness of organic ingredients. As a matter of fact, there has been a noted 34% increase in the exports of organic wine just in Australia. This means that more and more people buy organic wine for its believed benefits.

What are the benefits if we buy organic wine?

1. Has fewer sulphites

Additives are usually added to commercialised beverages to keep them fresh for as long as possible. That’s what sulphites do. Sulphites or sulphur dioxide are additives commonly found in wine drinks which keeps them fresh for very long. A limited amount of sulphites is harmless. However, people with asthma or someone who lacks the type of enzymes which break down sulphites will be gravely affected by the presence of sulfur oxide in the drink.

2. Contains less sugar

When you buy organic wine, your sugar intake will be less as most of the sweetness that you can taste from non-organic wines are from sugar. Sugar is an essential part of wine creation because the amount of sugar added will determine the alcohol content of the wine. A sweet wine is the result of excessive adding of sugar on top of naturally occurring sugar in grapes. This is a mistake that most novice winemakers make.