Studies have shown that residues of many dangerous chemicals have been found in conventional wines — chemicals that are not only present in the wine itself, but also affect the soil, vines and the environment as a whole. As a result, wineries are increasingly backing away from chemicals and adopting a "greener" approach to viticulture.
Defining "green" wine is no easy task, as standards and definitions vary from one country to another. At Yield, we consider "green" any and all wines that are gentle toward the environment, in other words those that are made from grapes organically or biodynamically grown, even if many of our winemakers add small amounts of sulfites.
Generally speaking, environmentally-sound viticulture falls into three main categories: biodynamic, organic and “sustainable.”
Organic & Biodynamic
Organic wine is made with grapes that were grown in a vineyard that has been certified organic or that uses mostly organic farming techniques, and has no added sulfites (USDA). This means that no chemical or artificial fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or other treatments were used on the grapevines. Organic viticulture (grape growing) also includes using compost as fertilizer, cover crops between vines for biodiversity, and it encourages a predator-pest balance within the vineyard. In addition, the level of sulfites is naturally less than 10 parts per million, and none may be added during winemaking. Genetically engineered yeast and vines are prohibited and organic winemakers often prefer to use wild — as opposed to cultured — yeast for fermentation.
While organically-grown grapes have been embraced by many winemakers (due to higher quality grapes and healthier vines), organic wine itself does not always enjoy the same reputation and, in the past, has even been frowned-upon by wine consumers and critics alike. This is the result of the prohibition against added sulfites, which are generally used to enhance a wine's shelf life, among other things. Many of the wines featured at Yield are made from certified organically grown grapes, but are not "certified organic wines" due to the sulfite prohibition.
Biodynamic wine is made from grapes grown on property where the entire environment is involved in the process, not just the vines. Other crops and even animals are used in the mix to make the land more fertile, but a central aspect of biodynamics is that the farm as a whole is seen as an organism, and therefore should be a closed, self-nourishing system. Biodynamics is based on the philosophy and teaching of Rudolf Steiner, which emerged in the 1920's.
In practical terms, a vineyard that is certified biodynamic must, at the very least, meet the standards and regulations that apply to organic certified farming. Biodynamic standards are dictated by the certifying entity, Demeter.
Biodynamic winemaking has become increasingly popular, especially in Europe (particularly in Spain and France), but also in California and Oregon, Australia, Chile and South Africa. In fact, many grape growers who have turned to biodynamic methods have found an immediate return on their "investment," with noted improvements in both the quality of their wines and the health of their vineyards.
Sustainable
Many wineries — perhaps even as many as one third of California’s vineyards, for instance — are adopting an approach known as “sustainable farming.” Sustainable farming is an umbrella term for a number of environmentally friendly and socially responsible practices, including the partial use of organically grown grapes and/or integration of energy efficient methods of wine production. For instance, herbicides are traded in for plant cover crops that crowd out weeds and attract “good” insects to feed on the pesky ones. Likewise, changes in canopy management – the way vines are trained to grow – have reduced the need for fungicides by improving sun exposure and air circulation. The many practices that are deemed “sustainable” are contained in the Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices.
This growing trend in the United States has been a more standard practice for centuries in most of Europe, where the use of certain chemicals or genetically engineered organisms that are used in the United States is prohibited by the various local regulatory agencies equivalent to the FDA. While certification standards may vary among wine-producing countries and regions, more and more winemakers around the world are turning to environmentally-sound viticulture, in an effort not only to preserve the environment, but improve the quality of their grapes and wines.
We at Yield favor biodynamic and organic (whether certified or not) viticulture, but we support the many wineries with strong "sustainable" farming practices in the hope that they will continue to increase such practices in years to come.