Organic Wine Isn’t Necessarily Better for You (or the Environment)

Organic wines, like other organic produce, sound like a great deal until you start diving into the details. Even though we perceive organic fruits as healthier, that’s not actually true; they’re not guaranteed to be better for us as consumers, or for the environment or farm workers.

An article at VinePair highlights some of the problems with organic wine, and concludes that the healthiest and most sustainable wines aren’t likely to be the ones with organic labels.

[I]n the rush to get organic products out the door (and fulfill the public’s desire for healthier, more environmentally responsible products), some producers are often doing little more than following the letter of the USDA law to earn the “organic” label, consequences to the environment and our overall health be damned. In fact, from what producers and studies revealed, it may actually be worse for the environment and your body to buy organic wine from a large manufacturer instead of buying wine produced from grapes on a smaller vineyard sprayed judiciously with synthetic pesticides by a hands-on farmer.

Organic growers use plenty of pesticides. These “natural” pesticides are less well studied, but still kill off wildlife (because that’s a pesticide’s job) and many are linked with toxic effects in workers and the environment. And since appropriate pesticide use varies with terroir, large California wineries can afford to meet the requirements for organic labels while vineyards in other areas, for example New York, don’t have the same options because of the particular plant diseases and pests that they deal with.

The solution may be to look to small farms that are committed to sustainable growing, and to be open to trying wines based on new types of grapes. Plant breeders are coming up with grape varieties that require less pesticide, so don’t be afraid of new names on your wine labels.

Here’s Why Your Organic Wine Is Actually Really Bad for the Environment | VinePair

Photo by Malcolm Carlaw.

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