Jamie Goode

Our expert discovers flavourful organic wines – and a port – that won’t drain your wallet

The wine world has turned green. Realising some ways of farming grapes have an environmental impact that isn’t sustainable, many winegrowers have started to farm organically.

This means no herbicides or chemical fertilisers, with weeds controlled by ploughing or mowing, using compost to add nutrients, and only natural or traditional disease remedies.

There are now lots of good organic wines on sale. Here are a few top picks...

Reyneke Vinehugger Organic Red 2020 South Africa, £12.99, Majestic, 14% alcohol

Made mainly from Shiraz, this shows supple berry fruits and a juicy, expressive personality. Really drinkable and finishing fresh.

Wildsong Organic Pinot Noir 2019 Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, £17.99, Adnams, 13% alcohol

Aromatic and fresh, this has textured, silky cherry and plum fruit with some nice fine-grained spicy structure. It’s a very textural example of Pinot Noir.

Merinas Eco Organic Red 2020 La Mancha, Spain, £7.50, Marks & Spencer, 13% alcohol

Blending Tempranillo with international grape Syrah, this is a supple, juicy red wine showing red berries, plums and cherries with a slightly stony edge that works well. Great value.

Fonseca Terra Prima Organic Port NV Douro, Portugal, £14.69, Waitrose, 20% alcohol

This is concentrated and dense with lovely sweet blackberry and cherry fruit, with a slight salty edge and a sweet, luscious personality.

Yalumba Organic Viognier 2021 South Australia, £9.99, Waitrose, 13.5% alcohol

Characterful and bright, this white has a lemony edge to the pear, melon and apricot, with a quince jelly finish.

Gérard Bertrand Naturae Chardonnay 2021 Languedoc, France, £9.99, Waitrose, 12.5% alcohol Not only is this Languedoc Chardonnay organic, but it also has no added sulphites. With juicy pear and apple, it’s full-flavoured.

Mirabeau Nude Pink Rosé 2021 Côtes de Provence, France, £22, ND John Wines, 12.5% alcohol

This vegan wine has bright aromatics with floral red fruits, a hint of rose and some citrus.