All you need to know about organic wines

If you buy an organic wine, you can expect it to be free from chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. The grapes have been grown using only natural methods to aid growth and keep away pests. The tricky part, however, is making the wine last. Most wines are preserved using sulphur dioxide. There's some debate in the organic community about whether adding a little sulphite is a bad thing or not. Some producers prefer to keep it completely free of sulphites, but this means the shelf life of the wine is only a few years.

It depends who you ask! Some organic wines don't have any added sulphites, but the small amounts of sulphites that are found in regular wine are pretty low, and most likely harmless. Sulphites are naturally found within the foods we eat anyway. You're likely to find more sulphites in dried fruit than when you are enjoying a glass of red. They do have some benefits too, because sulphites are actually useful in slowing down oxidation and killing bacteria in wine. However, sulphur dioxide is one of the main culprits for that hangover feeling (along with over indulgence of course!), and so reducing its content within wine could ease your sore head the next day!

Like any organic produce, some believe you can taste the difference because it's purer. Organic wines have been labelled as having a slightly "wilder" taste. A recent study did find that organic wines were scored higher in a taste test when compared with non-organic wines. Organic wine makers say it's all about quality and claim it tastes better because the grapes are better cared for and the whole process is healthier. But don't take their word for it because there's only one real way to find out — by sampling some of our delicious range of organic wines. Bottoms up!