Is Your Wine Organic?

If you think you’re drinking “organic” wine, think again. It might sound like we’re splitting hairs, but there’s a difference between certified organic wine and wine that’s made with organic grapes. For a wine to actually be labeled organic (which means it has the official USDA seal), it needs to be made from certified organic grapes (grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides) and be produced in a certified organic place. This means the wine might have naturally occurring sulfites, but it doesn’t have added sulfites—in addition, the sulfite level has to be less than 100 parts per million. However, most wines that say they are organic actually usually are only made with organic grapes. While the grapes may be certified organic, the wine won’t get the USDA seal because in order for that to happen, the wine has naturally occurring sulfites in addition to added sulfites.