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Beautiful Organic Vineyards

In the case of organic wine, many farmers and customers are already convinced. The organic wine business is growing rapidly, and you can find organic wine in more and more liquor stores across the country.

LaRocca Vineyards is one of northern California’s many small organic wineries. Philip LaRocca’s family farms 200 acres, and produces 20,000 cases of wine annually. “When we started this business 20 years ago my wife and I were already into organic,” LaRocca says. “We thought it was simply a healthier lifestyle.”

Unlike with beer, finding the organic ingredients isn’t the biggest problem. Many organic wines are made with certified organic ingredients and are labeled “made with organic grapes.” However, going 100 percent organic is more of an issue, because that means making wine without sulfur dioxide, a common preservative.

LaRocca wine is unusual in having a “100 percent organic” label. Learning how to make wine without sulfur dioxide took some work, but LaRocca was determined to do it. He’s against the use of chemical preservatives in general, but he’s also specifically concerned about sulfite sensitivities. He explains that non-organic winemakers can use about 100 different chemicals in their wine. “Sulfur dioxide is the only one the public has to be informed about,” he says. “There’s a reason for that.” A small percentage of people have sulfite sensitivies, and drinking nonorganic wine can cause them to break out in rashes or have other allergic reactions. This sensitivity is well documented and is most prevalent in people with asthma. Wine naturally contains some sulfites, but because it contains no added sulfur dioxide, most people with sulfite sensitivities can drink 100 percent organic wine without a problem.

In most cases, there’s no obvious distinction in flavor between organic and conventional wine — although starting with healthy fruit and completely eliminating pesticide residues and preservatives can’t hurt. But there’s a very noticeable difference in the style of farming, because not spraying with chemical pesticides requires a different approach.

“The concept behind organic agriculture is to build healthy soil,” LaRocca says. “We spent a lot of those early years just building the soil.” He explains that they still use about 300 tons of compost annually, and further improve the soil with cover crops.

Nonorganic grapes are a heavily sprayed crop, and it’s reassuring to know that the soil, water and air of an organic vineyard are free of pesticides, not only for the health of the land, but also for the benefit of the people who work there and those who live nearby. And it’s good for the crop, too. Over the years, LaRocca says he’s seen all the effort pay off not only in the quality of the wine, but also in the health of the grapes. “Our fruit is just beautiful,” he says.

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