Is hangover free wine just too good to be true?

TURNS out Tom and Barbara from The Good Life were on to something. After years of sluggish sales, the rise of healthy eating, together with the growth of online shopping, has turned around the fortunes of organic food.

Going organic is not quite as niche as it used to be and, according to the Soil Association, UK sales — from kale to chicken, yoghurt to tea — are set to break the £2 billion barrier this year.

Now organic wines look set to join the party, with specialist retailers reporting a huge surge in sales in recent years.

‘There was a time when we had to find people to sell to. Now, they come to us,’ says Doug Wregg, buyer for leading organic wine company Caves de Pyrenne. Even some of the supermarkets are making space on their shelves for organic bottles nowadays.

What exactly is an organic wine? Is it really better than ‘normal’ wine? And, most importantly, will it stop you getting a thumping hangover?

Simply put, organic wine is made from grapes grown without the use of synthetic fertilisers, fungicides, pesticides and herbicides. Instead nature is left to do its thing in the vineyard.

However once the grapes have been turned into wine, chemicals may be used, including sulphur. A natural preservative, sulphur protects the wine from spoiling once inside the bottle. Some drinkers even blame it for their sore head the next day.

However, the principal culprit in any hangover is alcohol, and sadly even the most virtuous wine still has its that in it.

The difference is the levels of sulphur permitted in organic wine; they’re significantly lower than non-organic wines. In fact, some organic producers don’t add any at all, which some people swear gives them less of a hangover.

But does that mean organic wines taste better?

Well, not always. Just because a wine has the word ‘organic’ on the label, doesn’t necessarily make it better quality-wise than a non-organic one, even if it is healthier for the environment — and, quite possibly, you.

But if you want to drink wines made by producers who keep their vineyards chemical-free and usually contain less added sulphur than normal, organic is the way to go. Here are some of the best to try: Tesco Finest Chilean Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2016, £7 I USED to drink this before it was organic, so was pleased that when it made the change, the price didn’t shoot up.

In fact, there are now plenty of organic wines that’ll give you change from a tenner.

This one’s made by one of Chile’s most prolific producers, Cono Sur, and it’s got all the ripe tropical fruit and zestiness you could want from a New World Sauvignon Blanc. Fantastic stuff. 4/5 Mesta Organic Old Vine Airen 2015, £8, Marks & Spencer SPAIN is hot, hot, hot, but because the vineyards producing these Airen grapes have a bit of altitude on their side, the wine is fresh and lemony.

Height means cooler air, which, in turn, means the grapes don’t ripen too quickly, keeping their fruit and freshness.

This one’s suitable for vegetarians, too. But bear in mind that just because a wine is organic, doesn’t mean it’s suitable for vegans or vegetarians, so always check the label. 4/5 Saladini Pilastri Falerio 2015, £9.50, Oddbins THE Pilastri family have been making wines for hundreds of years in the Marche, on the eastern side of Italy. They make their wine adhering to organic and biodynamic principles. ( Think of biodynamic as organic, only more hardcore, including specific plant-based treatments in the vineyard and pruning the vines according to the lunar calendar. Nope, not kidding.)

A blend of indigenous Italian grapes including Pecorino and Trebbiano, this is brilliantly bright and refreshing. 4/5 Terre di Faiano Primitivo 2015, £9.49, Waitrose CALLED Zinfandel elsewhere, the Primitivo grape loves it in Puglia, in southern Italy. Labelled as organic wine on the front, so a good deal easier to spot than many organic wines that just use a tiny symbol on the back label to tell you it’s certified as organic. This is rich, with buckets of bramble fruit flavours. 5/5 SO Organic Fairtrade No Sulphur Added Shiraz 2016, £6, Sainsbury’s NOT only is this organic, but it’s Fairtrade and has no added sulphur. All it’s missing is a halo. Made from grapes grown in South Africa’s Western Cape, it’s pretty full on with a certain rustic feel. But it delivers a whack of black fruits, spice and kick of alcohol to the palate. Great value. 3/5 Bonterra Zinfandel 2013, £11.57, Asda FROM California, Bonterra has been producing organically grown grapes since the Eighties. There are lots of wines to choose from in this particular range, including a juicy Merlot and a ripe, creamy Chardonnay. But currently I love this bold, spicy Zinfandel best. 4/5 THIS year, you’ll hear lots about Beaujolais. And I’m not talking nouveau. Rather, as a region, it’s making some seriously lovely-to-drink wines, crammed with juicy raspberry fruit flavours.

Made from the Gamay grape, 2015 was a fantastic vintage for Beaujolais. The Lapierre family has been making organic wine since 1981, from vineyards around the French town of Morgon. Preferable to a glass of Tom Good’s peapod burgundy, I’m sure. 5/5

HeLeN’S new book Teetotal Tipples is out now(£9.99, Robinson).

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