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So far this year, I have purchased approximately nine dozen bottles of organic wine. The number of those secured with traditional cork stoppers amount to only seven. That’s less than five percent, with the remainder sealed beneath screw cap devices. The move away from cork has caused some consternation among organic consumers who tend to prefer natural materials as opposed to plastic and manufactured components. On the other hand, there are experts who believe that new sealing technologies provide a safer and more dependable option for consumers. Despite careful selection and quality controls, natural cork is associated with the risk of structural weakness and mould contamination. Most wine consumers appreciate that cork stoppered bottles...

While organic wine continues to grow in popularity, there are new opportunities available for retailers and those who have the influence and capacity to educate and inform the discerning consumer. I’m often asked to explain how a certain wine compares against those from alternative regions or traditions. Of course, each response to such enquiry must be inherently subjective and based to some extent on personal preferences and prejudice. Having reasonably acknowledged this, there is considerable benefit to be gained from understanding the basics of wine appreciation and evaluation. The aim of wine tasting is to assess the relative concentration of each constituent flavour aspect. Most individuals can easily distinguish the characterising...

The emergence and recent focus upon organically certified wine production has contributed to a reassessment of soil characteristics as an important element in new vineyard selection. Compared with the primary status afforded to climate, soil has been frequently neglected or rather taken for granted by a large section of the industry. One of the general rules for vineyard selection is to avoid deeply fertile soils. While these are often responsible for supporting valuable remnants of very old vines, they can be inappropriate for establishing new plantings and maintaining the healthy development of commercially productive rows. The soil profile becomes increasingly relevant in cooler regions where surface evaporation is less effective. In the...

The winemakers’ craft begins long before the annual harvest, when important decisions are made regarding the cultivation principles and ongoing management of carefully selected vines. Understandably, the organic approach specifies the importance of balancing each viticultural endeavour within the wider context of the surrounding ecosystem. A well managed organic vineyard should provide insight for individuals keen on recycling and avoiding the wasted resources which tend to accumulate in other agricultural enterprises. Since the widespread acceptance of mass-produced wines, there have been fewer opportunities to appreciate the individual components which contribute to regional character, complexity, and coarseness, on many occasions. It is...

There’s some perception within the wine industry that organic producers are contributing to an international trend of increased alcohol levels in traditional varietals. While less than convinced by arguments of this nature, I’m prepared to concede that a few notable organic vintages have reached towards an upper range of 16 percent and above. These are, however, balanced by the large number of examples where a modest range is maintained, somewhere between 11 and 14 percent alcohol. The nineties were truly a decade for increasing alcohol volumes in wine. The trend was initially observed in the “higher quality” reds sourced from California and several of the imported products from Argentina, Chile, and South Africa. In...