The lowdown on additives, ‘woca-wola’ and proper natural wine

   Organic viticulture (grape growing) is all about eschewing manmade synthetic chemicals in the vineyard. It's basically very similar to the organic farming of other foodstuffs - no pesticides, no herbicides, no fungicides and no synthetic fertilizers. Instead farmers build up organic matter in the soils. As the Soil Association (UK) puts it (in relation to organic food): "Organic farming recognises the direct connection between our health and the food we eat. Strict regulations define what organic farmers can and cannot do. In organic farming, pesticides are severely restricted and artificial chemical fertilisers are prohibited...". These are standards that apply to most organic food certifying bodies around the world. For wine it's a bit trickier. There are dozens of certifying bodies around the world, (Nature & Progres, Ecocert, Australian Certified Organic...) each with varying regulations and standards to meet. So far, it seems that the USA has the toughest criteria for a wine to be called an 'organic' wine. In Europe, once grapes hit the winery however, different rules apply and all sorts of things can be added.

   Biodynamic agriculture is a form of organic cultivation developed by Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s.

  Steiner's teachings promote farming methods  that encourage self-sufficiency in the farm unit by helping plants and animals strengthen their own immune systems rather than rely on synthetic chemicals to combat disease. There is no monoculture in nature so the idea is to develop biodiversity. Plant and mineral-based preparations are used to boost this immune system by increasing the microbiological life of the growing environment. Truly understanding this environment means giving the farm context - i.e. it exists not in isolation but as part of a land mass that is part of a planet that is part of a huge solar system, where large bodies of mass exert considerable forces (gravitational, light etc) on each other. Life on earth is also affected and by extension so is agriculture. There is nothing obscure about it, it's just common sense. It's about promoting a farming model that disapeeared with the advent of intense, industrialised farming. And the results speak for themselves. Read Maria Thun for practical illustrations. 

   There are all sorts of other agricultural systems that exist that are share the same general philosophy as organic and biodynamic agriculture - namely observing nature (this is paramount), promoting life and developing strong, healthy plants that don't need man as their crutch to survive.

   Personal favourites of mine include the teachings of Fukuoka and its more formalised  anglo-saxon counterpart: permaculture - 'permanent sustainable agriculture'. This is all about designing ecosystems that are entirely self-perpetuating and so sustainable in the real sense of the word.

   In the end, whether you call it organic,  biodynamic, permaculture or indeed perhaps by no name at all, it's not the label that counts. Any truly 'green', sustainable agricultural practice is built on real understanding and fundamental principles that support nature rather than fight against it. It's done out of respect yes but also because in the end it gets the best results. It's all about outlook, and wines from vineyards that apply these principles quite honestly speak for themselves.

   Traditionally, farmers relied on ambient or wild yeasts to carry out the fermentation process and make wine. These yeasts exist naturally in a vineyard and cellar. They're everywhere. Nowadays though, the vast majority of wines are fermented using lab-bred inoculated, industrial yeasts, which are used around the world to make up for dodgy viticulture and control the winemaking process in order to fashion wine styles and flavours.

   Commercial yeasts are a recent thing. The widespread use of pesticides / weed-killers / fungicides has meant that indigenous yeast populations have been severely weakened such that often they aren’t able to ferment the juice properly so the use of commercial yeasts becomes inevitable. Enter the vicious cycle of additives. Exit authenticity of taste.

   Thanks in large part to inoculated yeasts, wines made are increasingly monotone, standardised and predictable. They are not the result of intricate yeast populations created by nature but are instead a recipe that can be duplicated anywhere. Ambient yeasts are part and parcel of terroir and so are key to producing  authentic, natural wine. 

It is used as an antiseptic, antioxidant, preservative and/or stabiliser, and exists in both natural and synthetic forms. Synthetic SO2 is a petrochemical derivative.

   SO2 is added by most conventional winemakers during harvest, winemaking and bottling. Some add it in small doses, others in very high concentrations. The phrase “contains sulphites” is an obligatory mention on a wine label if a wine contains more than 10mg/litre but there is no requirement to label quantity. So, you have no idea how much SO2 you are actually ingesting. That is a failing of the system. Whether you have 20mg/l or 350 mg/l, you can’t tell the difference. According to EU law, permitted total levels of SO2 are: 160 mg/litre for reds, 210 mg/litre for whites and 400 mg/l for sweet wines, which to my mind is crazy especially given WHO advice. Levels advocated by most certifying bodies for organic and biodynamic wines are significantly lower but are still a good deal higher than levels advocated by those who make natural wine, which tend to be about a fifth of the EU permitted totals. But fundamentally, for me, the ideal is to add none at all.

   It is quite fun to visit websites from companies who manufacture the stuff. You begin to realise the extent of manipulation that goes behind closed doors.

   Here's a great link to start with. It's in French but I'll translate it for you when I get a spare minute. And here's a link to the Australian Wine Research Institute.

   Otherwise, just google 'winemaking additives' or 'essential winemaking additives' and see what pops up. (I am particularly fond of the word 'essential' here, makes you wonder what on earth people were making and calling 'wine' before these 'essentials' were introduced. And you know what's particularly crazy is that these 'essentials' are really a very new phenomenon).

This might look like an eclectic choice but I think it gives great context to understanding wine generally and natural wine specifically.

The One-Straw Revolution by Fukuoka

The Battle for Wine and Love by Feiring

Le Vin au Naturel by Francois Morel (my favourite, a real bible to understand natural wine)

Gardening for Life by Maria Thun

The Biodynamic Year by Maria Thun

Monty Waldin's Biodynamic Wine Guide 2011 - congratulations for self-publishing this very comprehensive source of info Monty!