Wine Instruction

A growing trend in the wine industry is organic wine.  As the organic industry takes on more of a market share, wine is no exception to this rule.  What is organic wine?  This article talks about some of the things that go into (or are not included) in the making of Organic Wine.  This is a high level article and to actually make the wine you will need more information, but this will point you in the right direction.

The fundamental idea and purpose of organic winemaking is to produce a wine that hasn't been polluted in any way by chemicals.

While there are many wine farmers who grow organic grapes, almost all of them use some form of sulfites to help preserve the wine and prevent unhealthy bacteria from forming in the wine while it matures long term. This has created quite a stir in the industry because the United States Government official organic program has ruled that if sulfur of any kind is added to wine it simply isn't 100% organic, even if the grapes used to make the wine are 100% organic.

If you make your own wine at home and add Campden tablets - which are frequently part of a wine making recipe - you will be adding sulfur to your wine. But if you make a so-called "quick wine" that will be ready for drinking within two months, you don't have to worry about the tablets. In fact they are not recommended for quick wines, largely because you will taste the sulfur, and also because the carbon dioxide in the wine will get rid of germs short term, so there's no point.

But to make an organic wine that really is organic in every possible way, you are going to have to use organically grown wine grapes. A foolproof way to achieve this objective is to grow your own grapes without any chemical fertilizers, insecticides or pesticides.

Growing grapes at home can be a lot of fun, and even if you have a relatively small backyard, it is doable. If you have a larger property, you might find that being a suburban wine farmer leads to a new business opportunity, or at very least, gives you a chance to produce home-grown gifts for your friends and family.

Al Barker is an organic wine making expert. Al has spent the past 16 years mastering the art of organic wine making.

In Al's many years he has not only made world class wine himself, but has also taught hundreds of people the art of organic wine making.

More on Organic Wine

Organic Wine - A Guide To Organic Wine

Organic wines are healthier and flavorful than their counterparts. Check out for the benefits and origin of organic wine.

Publish Date: 04/19/2010