Uncorking the great organic discussion

One of the more hotly debated topics in the modern wine business is sustainable versus organic versus biodynamic grape production. 
 
All three are in full bloom, so to speak, in vineyards and the questions and positioning in each side of the debate makes the screw cap discussion look like a coffee house chat. There is something about organics that brings out the best and worst in people, especially those who see the world in black and white.

Whether it's terminology or philosophy, the definition of organic wine is elusive at best. In the vineyard, likely the most useful definition is the grapes are grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.

Inside the winery, it gets more difficult if you consider rightly or wrongly that the wine making should be guided by minimal manipulation of wines using a wide ranging number of techniques that include reverse osmosis, excessive filtration, flavour additives and much more. Add to that the raging debate on sulphites and how much should or should not be used in organic wine production (standards vary across the world) and you have quite a mess.

Similar issues surround the somewhat more cerebral biodynamic winemaking standards based on the teachings of Austrian anthroposophist Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) that bring homeopathic and astrological considerations into the organic process.

Under biodynamics, the farm or vineyard is treated as an organically self-contained entity with its own individuality.