Organic Vs Biodynamic Wine: What’s the Difference?

With Earth day upon us, many of us think about what we could be doing better in our lives with regards to how we treat the planet - both directly and indirectly. It’s also a great time to answer a wine question that I’m asked a lot: What is the difference between organic and biodynamic wine and how does that differ from natural wine?

Organic Wine

Think of organic wine like your organic veggies: it’s grapes grown without synthetic chemicals, pesticides or fungicides in the vineyard. The focus here is on eco-friendly farming, which should mean fewer chemical residues in the final wine. There is often an assumption that this approach means fewer chemicals later on in the winery and more sustainable practices in general, which is often the case - but not always. 

With organic wines, there are some things to be aware of, however. Organic farming still allows natural pesticides such as copper sulphate, which is a heavy metal and that can build up in the soil over time, being harmful to the beasties living in it. It might also be the case that because organic growers don’t use systemic sprays, they often need to spray more frequently, increasing tractor passes and therefore carbon emissions. Organic focuses on what isn’t used, but it doesn’t always account for things like water usage, worker welfare, packaging waste or carbon footprint. Sustainability is broader than organic certification alone after all and should include biodiversity, carbon emissions, packaging and social ethics as well as wine quality. Sometimes a non-certified wine is doing more for the environment than one with a fancy green sticker.

Biodynamic Wine

Biodynamic wine on the other hand is like organic wine’s cosmic cousin. Not only does it avoid all synthetic inputs, just like organic, but goes further, requiring biodiversity, composting and natural preparations to enrich the soil and vines. It’s a more holistic view of winemaking, where everything on the farm works in a closed loop including animals, cover crops, compost and plants, thus creating a self-sustaining system that supports long-term ecological health.

Biodynamics are also guided by lunar cycles, (e.g. pruning on root days, harvesting on fruit days) and special soil preparations  - all with an aim of creating balance between the vines, the earth, man and the stars! Some of these preparations can sound pretty wacky, like burying cow horns full of poo in various parts of the vineyard, but they make sense on a spiritual and holistic level and come from centuries-old practices that are all about listening to the environment and ensuring that any human intervention is ‘in tune’ with the earth’s natural rhythms. 

The result, many say, is wine that is more expressive, really capturing the essence of the place where the grapes are grown and importantly, of course, ensuring the land is healthy for generations to come. 

Natural Wine

In case you’re wondering, natural wine is a different animal once again but unlike organic and biodynamic wine, there’s no official body regulating what it is. The guiding principle however is to avoid additives and make the most unprocessed version of a wine possible.

What this means in practice is growing grapes without chemicals and not using additives in the winery, so things like powdered tartaric acid to balance acidity, enzymes for stability and the big one - sulphites, which work as antioxidants and antimicrobials  - but can cause problems for drinkers. The unprocessed bit means winemakers pretty much let the wine make itself: Get grapes, crush grapes, leave grapes to ferment, bottle the wine. And as natural wine is not filtered, it can be a bit cloudy or funky with some sediment - Literally a wine without a glossy filter!

So, to sum up:

Organic focuses on what is not used, i.e. chemicals.

Biodynamic focuses on holistic farming and lunar cycles, seeing the vineyard as an ecosystem. 

Natural focuses on minimal intervention and letting the wine make itself.

Here are some delicious, tried and tested wines to seek out:

ORGANIC WINE

W/O Organic Grillo Spumante, Sicilia DOC 2023, £11.49, Laithwaites

Sicily’s native Grillo grape makes wines that taste of sunshine with notes of orange blossom and pineapple. This pretty little fizzy version is so gentle and refreshing. A perfect ‘something different’ for all those upcoming garden parties. 

Gaia Organic Malbec 2022, £18 Waitrose

This chocolatey, aromatic, blueberry-scented Argentinian red from the stable of much loved producer Domaine Bousquet is apparently the first wine available in the UK to have both Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC™) and Demeter certification. Well worth supporting by having a glass or two!

Château Galoupet Cru Classé de Provence 2023 Organic Rosé, £47 mix six Majestic

Surrounding Galoupet’s 69 hectares of vineyards are a whopping 77 hectares of woodland, all currently being developed as a haven for biodiversity. Its gorgeous brown and pink bottle is made with around 80% recycled glass and the wine is turning heads for its elegant, subtle complexity that shows excellent ageing potential. 

BIODYNAMIC WINE

Meinklang Grüner Veltliner, £14.99  vintageroots

Austria’s flagship grape Grüner Veltliner makes arguably the most food friendly white wine around and made biodynamically as it is here, there’s an extra vibrancy and citrusy, mineral freshness as well as the classic, ginger and pepper kick on the finish. A great all rounder wine and fantastic value. 

Juan Gil 'La Bien Plantá' Garnacha Tinta, £13.95 aitkenwines.com allaboutwine.co.uk

Bodegas Juan Gil based in the Spanish region of Jumilla produces powerful yet graceful wines. This little biodynamic G;kjljujuhmmarnacha is planted at altitude (around 700m) and is gorgeous earthy with notes of velvety cherry and wild strawberry with spice. 

Yangarra Estate Shiraz 2021, £30.75 vinvm.co.uk, simplywinesdirect.co.uk

Yangarra started its organic and biodynamic journey back in 2008 and has been certified biodynamic and organic since 2012.Their elegant, Australian Shiraz from the McLaren Vale is vibrant and plush with velvety tannins and notes of pepper and damson. 

Cigalus Rouge, Gérard Bertrand, 2021, £34 vinvm.co.uk

Southern French wine producer Gérard Bertrand is a great believer in nurturing the land and following the moon. This luscious Languedoc blend is concentrated and powerful, with ripe black fruit, spice, tobacco leaf and cocoa powder. It needs a bit of time but it will be worth the wait! 

Want more wine knowledge tidbits/ make sure you’ve signed up to my weekly emails! Want to really get stuck in? Check out the Helenasips wine course and learn in less than 5 minutes a day.