January - time for a different kind of wine?

January is a month of new starts.  If you enjoy a glass of wine, but perhaps want to make a small difference to your body or the world around you, there is probably a different kind of wine that ticks the box for whatever it is that concerns you.  Read on to find a different kind of wine for you in 2022…

“SUSTAINABLE FARMING”2021 saw a seismic shift towards appreciation of the environment.    Sustainable energy, as well as sustainable farming techniques are here to stay.  What that means for grape-growing is encouraging bio-diversity in the vineyards. That includes planting complementary crops to draw nitrogen from the air into the soil.   And encouraging wildlife back into the vineyard with wildflowers and ponds. More nature in the vineyards means less need for artificial fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides. Ticks all the boxes!   

What is "ORGANIC" wine?  Wine made from grapes grown without any artificial chemicals (ie pesticides, herbicides, fungicides).  There are various bodies who certify wine, with different standards and logos, eg. Vin Bio, EcoCert. It is worth saying that not all producers go to the bother of getting their wines certified. If you have great wine and call sell as much as you produce, it’s not always worth the effort of getting that Certification.   

“BIODYNAMIC” is almost like organic on-steroids. Grapes are grown without any artificial chemicals, and also the land is farmed according to biodynamic principles. Biodynamic farms carry out composting, integrating animals, cover cropping, and crop rotation, and many also farm according to the cycles of the moon… sounds weird, but it seems to work!   

“VEGAN” friendly wines. When it comes to turning grapes into wine, animal by-products (eg isinglass, egg white) are used primarily for fining small particles  from wine. 'Vegan' wines use non-animal products to do this, such as pea-protein.  

1. Yalumba Organic Chardonnay is a classic Australian Chardonnay, from organic grapes.
2. Chablis Domaine Perdrycourt is made from organic (although not certified) Chardonnay grapes, and it’s unoaked. 
3. Baglietti Vino Spumante Rosé No. 7 - certified organic
4. Fascino Organic Prosecco- certified organic
5. Whispering Angel Rose – biodynamic French aristocratic Rosé.
6. D’A Malbec from France is farmed using sustainable farming practices, guaranteed by its Terra Vitis Certification.
7. Dom Notre Dame Visan Côtes du Rhône Villages - Certified organic red.  
8. Domaine Mejan Lirac, another certified organic red. 
9. Matsu El Picaro – this handsome looking Spanish red is from organically grown Tempranillo grapes.  It’s also unfiltered.  
10. Paul Mas Clos des Mures from France – this is stunning vintage of this wine, and you have the benefit of knowing it’s made from sustainably-grown grapes, certified by Terra Vitis.