It’s all a load of Biodynamics
What is the difference between biodynamic, organic and natural wine? This is a fairly common question in the shop so we thought it would be a good idea to give it a little focus in a blog. In our shops we have a "dotty" system on our labels to help you navigate your way through these wines. Our organic wines are signposted with a green dot, biodynamic wines a blue dot and natural wine an orange dot (not so relevant to this post but we also have yellow dots to show when a certain wine is vegan friendly).
Organics
Organic wine can only be made using organically certified vineyards and wineries. This certification process covers a wide range of restrictions and requirements that must be met in order to be able to promote themselves as such. These include restricting the available pesticides and fertilisers that can be used, encouraging strong root structures and increasing biodiversity in the vineyards. There are also more limited restrictions placed on the use of chemicals in the winemaking process as well as a lower limit on the use of sulphur dioxide. There is a 3 year conversion process for wineries wishing to obtain certified organic status.
Biodynamics
Biodynamics is similar to organics but with something extra, I like to think of it as added witchcraft as so much of it is not fully understood, even if it does appear to be effective in increasing biodiversity in the vineyard and promoting the health of the vines. Biodynamic producers use special preparations at specific times of the year to improve the health of the vines and soil. Like organic winemaking, there are legal expectations for the vineyard and winery management that must be met for at least 3 years before a wine can be called biodynamic.
Natural Wine
There is no official classification for natural wine and no governing body has set out what it should compose of but there is some general consensus that you should be using at least organic practices in the vineyard and having minimal intervention with the winemaking. Using lower levels of sulphites, fermenting using wild yeasts and not adding any other additives are all common features of natural wine however none of this is officially required.
Orange Wine
Another term that is often associated with natural wine is orange wine. An orange wine is made, like red wine, by leaving the skins of white grapes in contact with the juice to extract colour, tannin and flavour. Whilst natural wines helped make this style more popular to modern wine drinkers, they are not inherently made using ‘natural’ processes that are any different from making a red wine and now that the style is more sought after there are plenty of commercial orange wines that can be found on the market.
Practicing organic or biodynamic
Finally, we have those that practice organic or biodynamic techniques but are not officially certified. The certification process can be very expensive and there are many small producers who decide they cannot afford to be go through the accreditation process, but who see the benefits of utilizing organic or biodynamic methods.