Prior to recently, finding organic, biodynamic or "natural" wine meant browsing through a limited selection of dusty bottles at the back of a shop. Today however, things have drastically changed - offering consumers more choice and greater accessibility than ever.

Consumers increasingly desire wines that showcase sustainability, environmental stewardship and return to vineyards' natural roots. A quiet revolution is happening.

Origins

As the wine world shifts towards organic and natural wines, Italian producers are leading the way. Vineyards across Sicily and Tuscany have now committed themselves to sustainability in order to preserve their rich viticultural history and ensure its long term viability.

Biodynamic winemaking takes things one step further by embodying Rudolf Steiner's holistic philosophy, creating a healthy ecosystem in your vineyard and aligning practices with larger cosmic rhythms like using herbal preparations for soil health or the lunar calendar for agricultural activities.

At Fidora Winery in Italy's Veneto region, family-owned wines are created using sustainable practices in mind. Their NV Prosecco Rose ($19) offers crisp yet refreshing aromas of golden apple, white flower, strawberry and raspberry; perfect with melons prosciutto or fresh seafood dishes!

Benefits

Biodynamic wines take an approach to agriculture that goes far beyond organic. Based on Rudolf Steiner's lectures, biodynamics stresses ecological balance among stars, soil, plants and animals. Wines certified biodynamic must adhere to stringent regulations when sowing or harvesting according to astrological cycles or by burying manure horns during certain moon phases.

No matter your views on Steiner's ideas, biodynamic farmers use techniques that help protect the environment while yielding wines with more expression and character than conventional counterparts. Our UK survey discovered that millennial wine drinkers are willing to pay up to 20% more for organic, low intervention wines. [1]

Varieties

Organic and biodynamic wines can be confusing due to subtle distinctions such as additive use or winemaking process.

Natural wines are produced without using additives, allowing the wine to ferment naturally and showcase the true expression of grape and land from which it comes. This style has become increasingly popular across the UK as part of a growing desire for more eco-friendly living practices.

Italy reflects this trend as well, where organic and biodynamic wineries have proliferated across the country. While accurate figures on Italian wineries adhering to these principles remain hard to come by, established organizations such as Gambero Rosso have begun including an eco-friendly wines category in their annual ratings.

Producers

An exact count on how many wineries in Italy practice organic and biodynamic practices is impossible, yet anecdotal evidence points towards increasing numbers. While some producers simply follow European organic standards (which prohibit chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides), others follow a more holistic philosophy of agriculture inspired by Rudolf Steiner.

Jesus, Ruth and Cristina established their eponymous Sicilian winery with a goal of "Growing what Belongs Here." Now they are taking several sustainability initiatives including using homegrown wool as packaging material; supporting local bee hives; recycling wastewater for irrigation purposes and funding climate change mitigation projects through funding forestry projects.

Wine must meet certain standards to qualify as organic, and additional standards may include using natural preparations against diseases and insect pests as well as adhering to lunar calendar planting/harvesting schedules. Furthermore, biodynamic wines do not add added sulfites - though some producers go even further by labelling their wines 'natural'.