Natural Wine
Wines that are produced without unnecessary intervention in the vineyard and the winery in order to retain the true character of the fruit and its terroir. The methods used to produce these wines often, but not necessarily, include biodynamic, organic, and sustainable practices. The general rule in theory is that nothing is taken away or added to the grapes in the vineyard, or to the wines in the wine-making process. This also precludes chemical and physical manipulation in the winery.
Organic Wine
Wine made from grapes grown by organic farming methods and produced without the use of potentially harmful additives. Vineyard practices exclude the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides. Organic wines also eliminate or minimize the addition of sulfites.
Biodynamic Wine
Wine produced employing the principles of Biodynamic agriculture as developed by the Austrian philosopher-scientist Rudolf Steiner. This is what I like to descibe as Ueberorganics. It encompasses all the principles used in organic wine production, but with the overarching view of the vineyard as a self-contained living system where the soil is not just a substrate for plant grownth, but a living organism in its own right. One unique aspect of Biodynamics is the use of special preparations applied in minute quantities designed to enhance the life and vitality of the soil. The system also requires incorporating livestock in the vineyard as the primary source of fertilizer. Lunar and cosmic rhythms are taken into account in the timing of vineyard work. The winemaking process favors a hands-off approach with as little as possible winemaker intervention.
Sustainable Wine
In sustainable wines the emphasis is on methods that will allow the vineyards and environment to continue undeminished production for future generations. It may or may not include principles of organic production. The main emphasis is on managing soil depletion and erosion, water polution, ecological impacts, loss of biodiversity, resistance to pests and chemical dependence. Both man-made and natural products may be incorporated in this process.
