DRINKING GREEN
According to online wine retailer Cellarmasters, sales of organic wines are booming, so much so that sales have quadrupled in the past 12 months alone.
“A couple of years ago we would only have a handful of wines from organic producers, but they weren’t marketed as being ‘organic’ as there was very little interest at the time,” explains Christine Ricketts, cellar director for Cellarmasters.
“However, in the last 12 months we’ve seen a huge surge in demand and supply of organic wines.
“Many experts also believe organic wine tastes more vibrant than conventional wine, so there are many reasons to try organic wine if you haven’t already,” she added.
Here, Ricketts debunks the most common myths about organic wine.
MYTH: ORGANIC WINE = NO HANGOVER!
Although organic wine has fewer sulphites than conventional wine, it can still give you a hangover. Hangovers are caused by the alcohol content, although histamines and tannins in wine can contribute to a sore head the next day. If you want to avoid hangovers, moderation is the key, no matter what wine you’re drinking!
MYTH: ORGANIC WINE DOESN’T TASTE AS GOOD AS NORMAL WINE
Organic wine hasn’t always had a great reputation when it comes to taste. However, these days most green wines tend to be great drops. A 2016 study by the University of California concluded that organic wine tastes better than conventional wine after looking at expert reviews of more than 74,000 wines. What’s more, many of the world’s best wineries, such as Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, are organic.
MYTH: ORGANIC WINE IS MORE EXPENSIVE
This may have been true five or 10 years ago, but not any more! As organic wine has become more accessible, so have the prices. Prices are often on par with conventional wines.
MYTH: ORGANIC WINE IS VEGAN
Nope! Most wines are non-vegan because winemakers add fining agents to counteract cloudiness in the wine. The most common fining agents are casein (a milk protein), albumin (egg whites), gelatine and isinglass (fish protein). Vegan wines are labelled ‘vegan friendly’ if they have used vegan fining agents, such as clay (bentonite), limestone or silica gel.