Organic wine, anybody?

Most readers would by now be aware how wine grapes are grown and wine is made: the vitis vinifera vine normally produces grapes once a year and is grown either as a free-standing bush or (more commonly) on trellises. The grapes are harvested in early autumn (early spring in India) and crushed to release the juice. The sugar in the juice is converted into alcohol through fermentation, using yeast as a catalyst, and the resulting wine (with alcohol ranging from 9 per cent to 15 per cent) clarified through racking and filtration before bottling. The whole process takes two to six months, with additional time for barrel maturation, if any.

Of late, winemakers are using terms that are unfamiliar: 'organic', 'sustainable' and 'bio-dynamic' grapes and 'natural' wine. What do these mean, and how does each practice affect the quality and cost of the wine produced?

Quite simply, organic wines are made from grapes grown without the use of actificial (chemical) fertilisers, pesticides, weedicides and herbicides. Instead, natural or non-chemical items like compost, manure and solutions derived from items like milk, nettles or (in India) the neem tree are used in conjunction with vineyard bio- diversity and natural insect predators (for example, birds) to maintain the health of the vines and grapes. While this is more labour-intensive and tends to lead to lower yields, the vineyards are healthier and remain so for a longer term and the wines produced are free of any chemical residue.

Sustainable viticulture is an extension of organic farming practices and seeks to be ecologically sound, economically viable and socially supportive for the whole vineyard and it's surrounding ecosystem that includes both the flora (plants) and fauna (insects, birds and animals). This would, for example, include the cultivation of plants that attract insects that are beneficial to the vines, and the use of minimally invasive practices in harvesting (by hand, rather than machine).

Biodynamic practices go even further and have an element of spiritualism: they link farming to phases of the moon and the use of various preparations (such as manure matured in cow horns) that are claimed to improve bio-diversity and soil fertility. The principles of bio-dynamic farming were first enunciated by German scientist Rudolf Steiner in 1924 based on his research in European vineyards.

Natural winemakers may use organic grapes but resort to 'native' or wild yeasts for fermentation and little or no sulphur dioxide in the winemaking process. They may also not do any filtration to clarify their wines, allowing the sediments to settle 'naturally'. While this produces wines that are said to better represent the 'terroir' of each vineyard, one result is that 'natural' wines have to be consumed within a few years. The wines will not only differ from year to year but also contain sediments. While this was doubtlessly how wines were originally produced, opinion is sharply divided about this practice and its benefit to the wines so produced.

There is no doubt that organic farming practices are beneficial to the soil, and that the resulting wines have better and more vibrant qualities - for a lovely account of one vintners' battle to convert their vineyard to organic and bio-dynamic principles read Cora Feely's book, Saving Our Skins.

Wines I've been drinking: The Querciabella vineyard and winery in Tuscany converted to organic farming in 1988 and bio-dynamics in 2000. Its Mongrana 2012 (92 points James Suckling, Rs 2,746 in Bengaluru) is a blend of 50 per cent Sangiovese, 25 per cent Merlot, and 25 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from the Maremma coast and one of the best-value super-Tuscans I know of: complex aromas of cherries, herbs and cloves mingle with plums and biscuit. The wine has a medium body with soft tannins and a good length. Well worth a try.

Cin cin, as the Italians say.

Alok Chandra is a Bengaluru-based wine consultant