Organic wine starts with quality grapes that are organically grown, so without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers. The organic grapes grow from a naturally fertile soil that ensures a strong plant. Vinification, the process from juice to wine, is also done with the greatest care: chemical flavors, aromas or dyes are completely out of the question. The legal addition of sulphite is much more limited than in conventional wines - some organic wines even contain no added sulphite at all.
Growing the grapes
Making wine starts with growing grapes. Growing vines requires considerable skill and energy: the vines have to be pruned piece by piece and more than once, the leaves thinned, the 'thieves' removed ... (grape thieves are shoots that grow in the axils of the leaves. energy from the plant).
In organic grape cultivation, the same major principles apply as for any organic agricultural production: no fertilizers, and no chemical crop protection (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides). No genetically modified crops are allowed in organic. Adjuvants, additives or enzymes may also not be genetically manipulated.
Organic growers choose more robust varieties and take extra care of the soil and soil life. Weeds are controlled mechanically or possibly thermally, but not chemically. Or the organic grower uses biological pest control and, for example, uses natural enemies to combat an insect pest.
