Sustainable Wines:
The standards for a vineyard gaining sustainable wine classifiaction can vary depending on the microclimate and ecosystem. Sustainable certification focuses on the stewardship of resources of both the land and surrounding community. Sustainable wineries can incorporate organic, non-organic and biodynamic techniques in the winemaking process as long as this holistic approach contributes to the prosperity of the land and its people.
Organic Wines:
Organic wine is made from organically grown grapes - meaning that the grapes were grown without the intervention of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides or artificial fertilizers. Another factor that contributes to an organic designation, in the United States, is that no additional sulfites were added. However, sulfites occur naturally as a result of the wine making process and each wine producing country regulates the acceptable sulfite content for wine classified organic, with varying allowances for the addition of extraneous sulfites.
Biodynamic Wines:
Biodynamic certified wines also meet the criteria for organic certification. In addition, a biodynamic vineyard will be focused on biodiversity in order to cultivate growing conditions designed to maximize the quality of the soil and overall terroir. Techniques such as composting, cover cropping (additional plants incorporated into the vineyard in order to maintain soil health), rotation of crops from year to year and the use of wild life all serve to enhance soil viability and create hearty plants without the introduction of artificial chemicals.
Natural Wines:
Natural wine is made from grapes that are either grown organically or biodynamically. The winemaking process is key with this category. Grapes are picked and crushed by hand with fermentation occuring using the wild yeasts living on the grape skin. This approach can lead to unexpected results due to the use of native yeasts, a longer fermentation process and a non-interventionist wine making philosophy with no filtration.
Orange Wine:
Orange wine is produced from organic or biodynamic white grapes. The juice is left in contact with the skins and the winemaking process matches that of the natural wine category. This is a skin contact white wine that combines the elements of the sustainable, organic, biodynamic and natural wine categories. The wines tend to be multifaceted with strong identity and versatile when accompanying food. |
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