Conventional Wine

It’s interesting that some people won’t buy a product at the grocery store without reading all of the ingredients on the back of the label first, but don’t think twice about what’s in their glass of wine - if it tastes good, they’ll continue to buy it. Let’s shed some light on how most conventional wine is made.

We’ll start in the vineyard. A toxic mix of chemicals can be sprayed onto the vines like synthetic fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, pesticides and weed killers. To understand the real danger of this, check out this article on a winery found guilty of pesticide poisoning. For cost purposes, the grapes are often machine harvested rather than by hand. At times, this can cause the skins of delicate grapes (i.e. Pinot Noir) to break, leading to oxidation and a loss in aromatic qualities. Machine harvesting can allow for a bunch of MOG (material other than grapes) to enter into the vat of fermenting wine, like leaves, twigs, snakes, bugs, and mice. And when it comes to sorting, or filtering out rotten or unripe grapes and unwanted material, most bulk wine is machine-sorted rather than hand-sorted, and while machine sorting technology has come a long way, you might find peace of mind knowing there was a human sorting berries by hand rather than a machine.

As the grapes make their way into the tank, there are 72 additives that are allowed in the conventional winemaking process. The purpose of these additives are to help control a wine’s flavor, aroma, color, and texture. Copper sulfate, mega purple, potassium ferrocyanide and even Velcorin - a toxin so lethal it must be applied by specialists wearing hazmat suits- are all allowed.

Conventional wine is also fined and filtered, a process to ensure the wine comes out sparkling clear. Some of these clarifiers include fish bladders, gelatin or egg whites (sorry vegans). 

Aside from sulfur, none of these ingredients are required to be disclosed on the label. 

It’s important to also note that not all conventional wines are made the same. The quantity of bottles produced every year and the price (sometimes) can be a good indicator. Essentially the bigger the bulk and the lower the price, the more common the aforementioned practices are.

Natural Wine

Natural wine refers to wines made without adding or subtracting anything. They’re generally produced on a smaller-scale by independent producers.

The grapes are farmed organically or biodynamically (sans chemicals), but once in the winery, there is minimal intervention – no grape pressing, no additions of yeast or sulfites and also no fining or filtration (yes, this can sometimes can cause the wine to appear a bit cloudy). The grapes are basically left alone to do their thing so these wines are as natural as a wine can get. 

While a very small amount of sulfites may be detected in the wine, this is a naturally occurring by-product of fermentation and is still significantly less than the amount allowed in conventional winemaking.

These are likely the healthiest wines because of the lack of interference by the winemaker and minimal use of chemicals in their production, and allow you to taste the essence of the grape and the land it’s grown on. 

You might also find they’re less likely to cause a hangover.

Organic Wine

With organic, it all starts in the vineyard with growing the grapes. There are no synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides in the vineyards and all additives, like fining agents or yeasts, are organic. Wines produced in the US. that are certified organic do not permit the use of any sulfites, however wines from Europe and Canada labeled organic may contain added sulfites, although the level of sulfites will still be lower than in regular wines. The reason sulfites are added to wine in the first place is to preserve a wine and slow chemical reactions that cause the wine to go bad.

Be aware though that wines labeled “Made with Organic Grapes” mean that the grapes are farmed organically and all additives are organic, but the wine may contain up to 100 ppm (parts per million) of sulfur additives, which is still less than the maximum allowed, 350 ppm.

Sustainable Wine

With climate change in effect, sustainability has become more and more important. Sustainability is related to resource management in terms of water and energy efficiency in the vineyard and winery. An example could be putting beneficial insects or animals in vineyards as a way to manage pests, or using drip irrigation to conserve water, or the use of alternative energy like solar panels to help provide power for motors, drives, irrigation pumps and more. It’s hard to define because each wine region has unique environmental stresses, but it’s basically smart agricultural practices, and there are a ton of different sustainable certifications, so paying attention to the label is a good idea. If you see a certification you don’t recognize, just Google it.

Biodynamic Wine

There is a small subset of sustainability that’s essentially a holistic view of agriculture. Biodynamic wines focus on maintaining soil health and timing planting actions with lunar cycles, the concept being that everything in the universe is interconnected. Biodynamic viticulture is the practice of respecting the resonance between vine, man, earth and the stars. Besides adhering to a biodynamic calendar, no chemicals or manufactured additions like glyphosate in the vineyards or commercial yeast in the tanks, are allowed in biodynamic wine. Instead the growers make special compost preparations with natural ingredients to support their vineyards, and fermentation is prompted by wild yeasts.

Currently, there are two biodynamic certifications that are recognized internationally: Demeter and Biodyvin. 

Final Notes

It’s important to note that organic, biodynamic and sustainable are not the same thing as natural. While there are stricter rules and practices with these wines when compared to conventional viticulture and winemaking, organic wines can have any of the additives allowed in conventional wine (as long as they are organic) and biodynamic and sustainable wines tend to focus more on the farming practices, not winemaking. With that said, I do believe more care and dedication are given to growing and producing organic, biodynamic and sustainable wines, and they’re a better alternative to conventional wines.

It’s also important to keep in mind that not all conventional wines are made the exact same way. There are some less manipulated than others when it comes to the land and inside the tank. You may continue to drink your favorite inexpensive bottle of wine from the grocery store, and that’s totally fine. If you enjoy it and you feel fine during and after drinking it, by all means continue. But if you’re going to put it in your body, you might as well know what could be in it. 

If this article has piqued your interest in natural, organic, biodynamic and sustainable wines, subscribe to Vin Concierge. Our monthly wine recommendations focus on these categories of wine and as your on-demand wine advisor, we can assist you whenever you’re at a wine shop or restaurant looking for a ‘cleaner’ wine to drink.