Biodynamic, Organic, Vegan & Other Wine Styles

Organic

Use of the term “organic” for wine, as for food, is legally defined in most countries, even if the definition varies from country to country. There is no international governing body that regulates a unified standard for what it means to be “organic,” so practices vary, but typically, organic wines must be made from grapes grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides or herbicides. There are further restrictions on allowable processing agents in the winery, most notably limits on the use of sulphur dioxide as a preservative agent, as well as permissible fining/clarifying agents.

Wines produced in Canada with an organic claim and wishing to be sold across the country must comply with the federal Canadian Organic Regime, which is regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The CFIA creates, oversees, monitors and enforces the requirements of the Canada Organic Regime using an accredited third-party auditor.

Aside from the bonus of having no pesticide residue, likely of greatest interest to consumers is the reduced sulfite levels in organic wine. Sulfites are the most effective anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial wine preservative, and have been used for centuries. Organic wine does not mean totally sulfite-free (even if no sulfites are added, they are produced naturally during fermentation), though the legal maximum of how much can be added is less than for conventional wines (which also have limits). The limits are determined by the amount of residual sugar (RS) in a particular wine – the more sugar, the higher the permitted sulfite level, mostly to prevent refermentation.

According to the Canadian Organic Regime, wines with less than 50 grams/liter RS (dry to semi-sweet) may contain up to 30 mg/L (ppm) free sulphur dioxide, up to 35 mg/L for wines between 50 and 99 g/L RS, and up to 45 mg/L for really sweet wines with more than 99 g/L RS. By contrast, the allowable SO2 limits for conventional wines in Europe, for example, is 150mg/L for red wines, 210mg/L for white and rose wines, and 400mg/L for sweet wines. In the US the legal limits top out at 350mg/L and in Australia at 250mg/L.

Ontario VQA wineries selling organic wines

Biodynamic

Biodynamics takes organics a step further. Biodynamics is a philosophy and method of farming originally devised by Austrian Rudolf Steiner in the early 1920s. Steiner laid out his ideas in a series of lectures, which included a include a healthy dose of spiritual science, with the practical aim of increasing the nutritional value of food (physical and spiritual). In the post WWI period when chemical fertilizers became prevalent, it was noticed that industrially-grown foodstuffs were not providing the same level of nutrition as traditionally-farmed products. Steiner and his followers sought to remedy the situation by using a more “holistic approach to agriculture in which farms and vineyards are considered as living organisms and farmers take into account every aspect of their natural environment.”

In practice, Biodynamic farming meets organic standards, including the prohibition of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. The maximum allowable use of other vineyard treatments are generally lower than what is authorized under organic standards. Only half the amount of copper, for example, used to fight mildews, is permitted under Biodynamic standards compared to organics.

The use of biodynamic preparations, essentially homeopathic treatments, are also rwquired. Made from medicinal plants (e.g. yarrow, chamomile, stinging nettle) and other natural products (cow manure), these preparations are applied to boost the vines’ own immune system, and pro-actively eliminate the causes, not just the effects of diseases, and to improve soil health. Work in the vineyards and in the winery follows the earth’s natural daily, monthly and seasonal rhythms (lunar, solar, astral), maximizing vineyard health, and ultimately, it’s believed, wine quality.

Going even further, biodynamic farmers also seek to maintain the balance of their ecosystem by integrating animals and animal feeds, perennial plants, flowers and trees, water features, and composting, and setting aside acreage to encourage biodiversity (riparian zones, wetlands, grasslands, and forests, etc.). The goal is to be fully self-sufficient, with nothing entering or leaving the farm (except the final product, eventually).

In the winery, permitted sulfite additions are also lower than for organic compliance, and the list of processing ingredients in is likewise considerably shorter. No laboratory-selected, aromatic yeasts (only wild/native/indigenous yeasts carry out the fermentation), bacteria, or enzymes additions are permitted, for example, and acid and sugar adjustment is forbidden. In practice, most biodynamic winemakers use virtually nothing other than minimal amounts of sulfites in the winemaking process, and sometimes none at all.

Biodynamic Certification

Demeter International, a private, non-profit organization, controls the trademark for the term Biodynamic® around the world (capital “B”), and was the first, and still is, the largest certifier of Biodynamic farms. In order for a winery or a vineyard to refer to itself as Biodynamic, it must adhere to the Demeter Farm Standard for a minimum of three years if formerly conventionally farmed, or a minimum of one year if previously organically farmed, before certification is granted. Farms are inspected annually by Demeter employees, and the whole process is extremely rigorous. The Demeter certification is recognized in all Canadian provinces.

Two other private organizations also offer certification for biodynamic operations (small “b”). Biodyvin, originally established in France in 1995, currently counts 135 members in Germany, Italy, Portugal and Switzerland, in addition to France. The splinter biodynamic association of wine producers called Respekt was founded in 2007 by a group of Austrian vintners, and now counts 22 members, including several German producers. Both essentially operate according to Demeter standards, and their certifications and logo/wordmarks are recognized in Canada. Many other wineries around the world have adopted some or all of the principles of Biodynamic winegrowing, but opt not to seek certification, as it’s a costly process, in both time and fees. But according to the Demeter website, to use “some Biodynamic practices” is a bit like being “a little pregnant”. These folks take it seriously.

Ontario VQA wineries selling biodynamic wines

Redstone Winery
Southbrook Vineyards

Vegan

Veganism is yet another growing market segment. Like biodynamics, it has a philosophical dimension.

In contrast to vegetarianism, a purely dietary choice, veganism is not just about health and diet. It’s also adopted for environmental, ethical, and compassionate reasons. Influential documentaries such as Cowspiracy and What the Health have exposed the rather dramatic environmental cost of the meat and dairy industries. Philosophical opposition to exploitation of all animals is another driver.

In short, veganism is a way of life, one that excludes the consumption or use of any products made from animals, including eggs, dairy, and honey.

The definition of veganism by the Vegan Society:

“A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.”

Wines most commonly loose vegan-friendly status through the use of animal-based fining/clarifying agents employed to remove unwanted particles like dead yeast cells, proteins, and tannins, and to soften texture. Non-vegan fining agents include gelatin (protein from animal, skin, bones and cartilage), isinglass (made from fish swim bladders), casein (milk protein), albumen (egg whites), sea shells, and rennet. Although all of these agents are filtered out, with virtually no residue in the finished wine, it’s still a vegan no-no.

Vegan wines, on the other hand, can be fined/clarified with vegan-friendly alternatives such as bentonite or kaolin clay, limestone, silica gel, plant-based casein, rennet or gelatin, or filtered through mediums like diatomaceous earth, paper, ceramics or charcoal.

There is also of course the tried and true, vegan-friendly method of time. Leave a wine long enough in barrel or tank, and particles will settle on the bottom, allowing the naturally clarified wine to be siphoned off the top.

De-acidifying wine is another process during which animal products can slip into wine. Agents include unrease from crabs or mussels (a crystallizable enzyme), animal mucus (animal lysozome), or Milch (urebakterien, similar to milk). Vegan alternatives for de-acidification include plant-based unrease, lysozome, and urebakterien.

An even more hidden source of non-vegan products used in the winery is sugar. Sugar is occasionally added to wines in a process called chaptalization, which prolongs fermentation and increases the final alcohol content of the wine, most frequently practiced in cool climates where natural sugar accumulation in grapes is limited. The trouble is, some refined sugars are processed with bone char, which is unacceptable to many vegans.

When it comes to packaging, a wax capsule that contains beeswax would be frowned upon, as would non-vegan glues used to adhere labels. But in practice, switching to a vegan protocol in the winery is relatively simple – there’s really no need for any animal products. Indeed, many wines would qualify as vegan, even if the winery doesn’t know it.

Strictly speaking, vegan protocols should extend into grape growing practices, which means no animal-based fertilizers (manure) or sprays. Vegan-friendly, ‘green’ manure can be made from composted plants, while various medicinal and aromatic herbs can be used for sprays. Ploughing by horse, is likewise, strictly speaking, not simpatico with the vegan philosophy of non-exploitation of animals.

Vegan Certifications

There are no official government regulations concerning vegan certification, though many independent bodies exist that will provide certification and the use of a logo, such as VegeCert, a Canadian-owned company. BevVeg and Vegan.org are other prominent companies. All of these organizations rely on the honesty of the manufacturer. The application process for Vegecert, for example, “will require you to provide the ingredients and products for which you are seeking VegeCert certification.” Inspectors then review the application, and if satisfied that the products meet VegeCert’s standards, proceed to a contract to obtain VegeCert certification.

Natural Wine

“Natural” is a term with no legally-defined meaning, no official certifications, and no government regulations, but increasingly used around the world. Essentially it applies to wines made by producers who adhere to the loose concept of nothing added, nothing taken away.

The birth of the modern natural wine movement can be traced back to Beaujolais in the late 1970s/early ‘80s (after all, all wine for most of its 8000-year existence could have been termed “natural”). A group of four winemakers – Guy Breton, Jean Foillard, Marcel Lapierre and Jean-Paul Thévenet, under the prophetic guidance of an elderly Jules Chauvet and his assistant Jacques Néauport, went utterly counter-culture in the hey-day of industrial Beaujolais nouveau and began making wines from low-yielding, old vines farmed organically by hand, fermenting traditionally with wild yeasts, ageing in barrel, and bottling unfined and unfiltered with little or no sulphur dioxide. The approach of this ‘Gang of Four’, as they came to be known, sparked a both local and worldwide shift in winemaking philosophy that is still cresting today.

The world’s largest wine fair dedicated to natural wine, RAW, defines Natural Wine as follows: “farmed organically (biodynamically, using permaculture or the like) and made (or rather transformed) without adding or removing anything in the cellar. No additives or processing aids are used, and ‘intervention’ in the naturally occurring fermentation process is kept to a minimum. As such neither fining nor (tight) filtration are used. The result is a living wine – wholesome and full of naturally occurring microbiology.”

Isabelle Legeron, the French-born Master of Wine who created RAW, further defines natural wine as “a continuum, like ripples on a pond. At the epicentre of these ripples, are growers who produce wines absolutely naturally – nothing added and nothing removed. As you move away from this centre, the additions and manipulations begin, making the wine less and less natural, the further out you go. Eventually, the ripples disappear entirely, blending into the waters of the rest of the pond. At this point the term ‘natural wine’ no longer applies. You have moved into the realm of the conventional.”

The exact point at which the term natural wine no longer applies, however, is a moving, non-regulated target.

Various groups of growers in several countries, including France, Italy and Spain, have created self-regulated charters of quality, generally far stricter than regulations imposed by organic or biodynamic certifications. The use of sulfites is perhaps the most contentious aspect of the natural wine movement. The most die-hard adherents will use none at all under any circumstances, while most groups permit minimal additions. The French S.A.I.N.S. (“Sans Aucun Intrant Ni Sulfite”, “With no Additions Nor Sulphites”), for example, is the strictest of all, not allowing additives whatsoever but tolerating light filtration. For the Association des Vins Naturels (AVN), 30 mg/l of total sulfites for red and sparkling wines is the max, while totals for whites are 40 mg/l (regardless of residual sugar). Italian-based VinNatur permits a blanket total maximum of 50 mg/l across the board.

Like veganism and biodynamics, there is a philosophical dimension to natural wine, which some zealots take to the extreme, refusing to do anything, even to a wine in extremis. For such producers, the process (or lack of process) takes precedence over the product.

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