Ep 518: Biodynamic, Organic, Sustainable, Regenerative Wine (and more) -- the Update

These categories of "better for the earth" wines are technical, tricky, and ever-evolving, so I it was time to do an update! In this show, I do best to break it all down in as simple a way as possible…I cover:BiodynamicsOrganicsSustainable farmingRegenerative agricultureAnd quickly, the loose ends – vegan wine, natural wine______________________________________ BiodynamicI discuss the main principles of biodynamic agriculture – that the farm is a single, self-sustaining organism and the farmer must encourage and guide the vines, as well as protect the soil so provides nourishment for the vines. ​The main certification for biodynamics is DEMETER.  _________________________________OrganicOrganic farming is how farming was always done until the industrial revolution. The new iteration grew out of the biodynamic movement in the 1920s. This method took off in the 1970s and 80s, especially in Europe.Different countries have different definitions of organic…European Union Organic Products/”Bio” in France: Organic wine prohibits most synthetic chemicals or GMOs and uses only certified organic oenological products in the cellar, including organic yeast. Sulfites are regulated. United States. This is a program developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). There are prohibitions on the vineyard and the winery, and added sulfites are prohibited. Because of this last prohibition, certified organic vineyards go in and out of the organic certificatioTo make it more flexible, they added the “Made with Organic Grapes” stipulation, which is looser _________________________________________________________ Regenerative Organic AgricultureAlthough relatively new, this is likely the future of better for the earth initiatives. Regenerative starts out with the principles of organic but then adds a few other things. Watch this space…  _________________________________________________________  Sustainable Winegrowing This is the most popular way to do better for the earth viticulture but it’s squishy. Sustainable is a catchall term that has MANY definitions. Examples of certifications: France…HVE: The French Ministry of Agriculture developed the Haute Valeur EnvironementaleOthers...Vignerons EngagesViticulture Durable en ChampagneTerra Vitis California: Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing I end with a quick tour of Natural wine and Vegan winesFull show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!_______________________________________________________________Wine Access has an amazing selection — once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club in time for the next shipment. As a limited time offer, get $25 off your first TWO shipments of our club!To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: http://www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes Get the back catalog on Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.