Why is Organic Wine So Popular?
Organic and biodynamic wine sales have experienced incredible growth in recent years, with sales increasing by a staggering 50% each year according to Wine Australia. If you’re wondering what is prompting this sudden increase in sales of organic wine, it is thanks to the rise of consumer consciousness of the health benefits, as well as the environmental benefits of sustainable farming.
What are organic wines?
Organic wine production does not use, or uses very little of, artificial or synthetic chemicals, including fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and preservatives. Instead, organic wine relies upon natural methods of ridding their vineyards of weeds and pests.
Organic processes include increasing the biodiversity of their vineyards, for example, allowing the growth of other plant species alongside the vineyards and the use of goats for grazing.
What are biodynamic wines?
Biodynamic wines are the more extreme forms of organic viticulture. Biodynamic vineyards function by creating an entirely natural, self-regulating natural ecosystem. Biodynamic cultivation does not include the use of any synthetic chemicals or unnatural additions.
Biodynamic viticulture takes into account factors such as the lunar calendar and sometimes astrology to determine periods of pruning and harvesting. For example, some biodynamic practises involve burying a cow’s horn full of manure at the autumn equinox and digging the horn back up in spring, to use as a natural fertiliser for the vineyards.
What are the benefits of drinking organic or biodynamic wines?
Organic and biodynamic wines are generally better for you than regular wines as you avoid ingesting the artificial chemicals that come with conventional vineyard growth. Organic grapes also have healthier skins and higher concentrations of those beneficial antioxidants and anthocyanins. Organic and biodynamic wines also generally have a lower sugar content than regular wines.
Purchasing organic and biodynamic wines also means that you are supporting more sustainable agricultural practises, which have less of an impact on the local ecosystems.
This is because these vineyards use significantly less amounts of water, avoid contaminating the ecosystem with unnatural chemicals harmful to flora and fauna and avoid wastage where possible.
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