Eco-Friendly Wines: Defining the Terms

What does “natural” wine mean?

“Natural” is an unregulated wine term with no official standard, so it’s best approached with some skepticism — much like “natural” on food. At most it signals a winemaker trying to avoid chemical-heavy conventional practices, such as synthetic pesticides, additions like yeast, sugar, or oak, or heavy filtering, and many natural winemakers also forgo added sulfites. Because nothing is certified, the label reflects the winemaker’s intent rather than any guaranteed set of practices, so it’s hard to know exactly what was upheld or avoided.

What’s the difference between organic wine and wine “made with organic grapes”?

The key difference is sulfites. Certified organic wine is made using 100% organic methods and ingredients (apart from added water and salt) and cannot contain any added sulfites, because the USDA treats added sulfites as a synthetic additive — only these wines may carry the USDA organic seal. Wine “made with organic grapes” uses grapes grown without toxic pesticides and fertilizers but is allowed added sulfites up to 100 ppm, and does not display the USDA organic seal. For context, conventional wines can contain up to 350 ppm.

What does sustainable wine mean?

Sustainable wine comes from farming that is both environmentally sound and socially responsible, with those practices built into the business of the farm and the grape-growing. A sustainable grower treats the soil as the foundation, minimizes off-farm inputs, and focuses on conservation, pest management, water, and energy in environmentally and socially responsible ways. The result is protection for soil, air, and water, and growers who act as stewards of the land — keeping it healthy for their communities and the industry for generations. Note that a sustainable winery is not necessarily organic.

What is biodynamic wine?

Biodynamic wine comes from a holistic farming method that treats the entire vineyard as a living organism and goes beyond organic. Rather than using products — even natural pesticides or weed killers — biodynamic growers keep the vineyard healthy by encouraging plants and wildlife, for example letting spiders thrive to control flies and other pests, building a self-sustaining ecosystem around the vines. The approach is based on principles outlined by Austrian scientist Rudolf Steiner in 1924, and biodynamic wine is typically certified through Demeter. The number of biodynamic farms and wineries continues to grow.

What other eco-friendly wine practices should you look for?

Beyond natural, organic, sustainable, and biodynamic, look for carbon-neutral wineries, which take steps like energy-efficient lighting and wind machines, cut waste, then buy carbon credits to offset their remaining footprint. Buying local is another simple choice, since imported wine carries a larger environmental impact than wine sourced nearby. And packaging matters: more wines, including higher-end ones, now come in Tetra-Paks or boxes as a lower-impact alternative to glass bottles. Together these give eco-conscious shoppers several ways to reduce the footprint of what they drink.

Is there such a thing as sulfite-free wine?

No — no wine is truly sulfite-free. Sulfites occur naturally during fermentation, and they are nature’s way of protecting plants from harmful microbes, so every wine contains at least some; beer and cheese do too. What you can find is wine that is free of added sulfites, such as certified organic wine, or almost sulfite-free, but never zero. Conventional and “made with organic grapes” wines usually have sulfur dioxide added as a preservative. Decanting the wine to aerate it is said to help release some of the sulfur.