New EU Organic Wine Definitions

03 September 2012

New EU Organic Wine Definitions

To the joy of organic wine producers, the European Union’s first ruling has come into force regarding the production and labelling of organic wine. On the 1st of August these new regulations were administered and will help to clear up the confusion for both consumers and producers of natural wine.

This heated debate has been stirring for the last 20 years and was finally brought to the surface during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Organic Farming (SCOF). From this point onwards there will be standardised requirements to deem a product an organic wine.

Before hand, EU ‘organic’ wines were permitted to use the term if their wine was made using organically grown grapes. But due to the production processes, many wines under the organic label could still use various non-organic substances in the vinification process - without control over the levels of chemicals and sulphites used. Previously, wine producers were frustrated and angry that the inclusion of these sulphites is in contradiction to the term ‘organic’.

From now on, an organic wine can only include 44 additives and has to meet the requirements in the reduction of sulphites to appease the SCOF and to gain its desired description.

The permitted levels of sulphite now stand at;

•   Organic Red Wine – 100mg/1
•   Organic White Wine – 150mg/1
•   Organic Dessert Wine – 370mg/1

In some peoples opinion this is still too high. Consuming too many sulphites is not great for anyone and can potentially be very dangerous for an individual with a sulphite allergy. The World Health Organisation specifies that men should consume no more than 0.7mg/1 of sulphites per Kg of body weight. This would be less than 2 glasses for a ‘size 10’ woman – and this is without taking into consideration the sulphites that are found in most food stuffs that we consume on a daily basis.

Some organic wine producers that want the regulation to go further in reducing the use of sulphites and the artificial vinification processes are staring longingly across the Atlantic to America. At present the USA certified organic wines are not permitted to add any sulphites whatsoever.

Nonetheless, it is obviously a step in the right direction and is sure to bring the topic to the masses and push the debate forwards. As individuals become more and more aware of what they are digesting, many are cutting out any harmful additives, sugars, fats and chemicals. The demand for quality is soaring as the consumer wants a reduction in bad ingredients as well as more for their money. This is only the start of the standardization of organic wines; the awareness and demand for truly organic wines is sure to grow.

The fantastic news is that you don’t need to book your flight to America just yet - there are still great, healthy organic wines available in the European Union. It’s just a case of keeping an ear to the grapevine.

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03 September 2012

New EU Organic Wine Definitions