Wine: Red, White—or Green?
How to decipher those labels—and make your wine purchases work for wildlife.
By Rene Ebersole

Consumers who buy wines stoppered with real cork can help preserve the western Mediterranean’s cork-oak forests—as well as the sustainable lifestyles of the people who earn their livelihood in those forests and the wildlife species that depend on them. But the benefits of your purchase decisions don’t have to stop there. By buying organic wines, you can also protect waterways from agricultural runoff, preserve wildlife habitat, and even help restore threatened salmon runs. It’s easy to get confused by all the labels. Here’s what they mean.

Some Organic Ingredients
Wines in this category have less than 70 percent organic ingredients. They cannot bear the green-and-white USDA certified-organic seal (www.ams.usda.gov/NOP) or carry information about other certifying agencies.

Made with Organic Grapes or Organically Grown
To make this claim, a wine must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients, have an ingredient statement on the bottle that details which items are organic, and also offer information about the certifying agency. The allowable 30 percent of non-organic ingredients must not be available in an organic form. This type of wine does not meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s criteria for organic certification. For that it must not have sulfite levels higher than those that occur naturally during fermentation. Many winemakers consider sulfites—preservatives that prevent oxidation and bacterial spoilage—to be essential in their business. A small percentage of Americans, mostly asthmatics, have sensitivities to sulfites.

Organic
These wines must be at least 95 percent organic, include an ingredient statement on the label that identifies which ones are organic, and list information about the certifying agency. They cannot contain added sulfites, but naturally occurring sulfites below 100 parts per million are permitted. The allowable 5 percent of non-organic ingredients can’t be available in organic form. 

100% Organic
All of the above, except the ingredients must be purely organic

Biodynamic
Biodynamic farming is stricter than organic farming, and biodynamic winemaking employs time-tested techniques, developed in Europe, in which the vineyard is treated as a self-sustaining ecosystem. Among the techniques a biodynamic farmer uses are saving seeds, using compost for fertilizer, incorporating cover crops that attract pollinating insects, and relying on predators instead of pesticides. The biodynamic certifying body in the United States is Demeter (www.demeter-usa.org), and it requires winemakers to follow strict guidelines for biodynamic farming, in addition to being organic certified for three years.
 
Salmon-Safe
The “salmon-safe” label is an indication that a winery has committed to land management practices that help protect watersheds. Such measures might include planting trees along riparian areas, improving irrigation systems, and erosion control. For more information, visit www.salmonsafe.org/wine/.

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Feature story link to "Cork Screwed."