3:07 AM

2009 - Wine Industry-

A Wine Industry Artilce for Your Viewing

Why choose organic wine?

What could be a better accompaniment to a meal of organic food than a glass of organic wine? Wine is one of humanity's oldest beverages. It's been used in medicine and religious rituals, and it is all over our social calendars. A lot of research has been made to study its effect on human health. Is it a coincidence that the French, who are second in the world in wine consumption, also have the second lowest occurrence of heart disease?

That alone is a good reason to enjoy a glass of wine. But why select an organic wine over one made with conventional methods?

First, as with all organic food, organic wine is produced without any pesticides, herbicides or insecticides. According to some estimates, seventeen such substances are used in conventional wine grape production, making grapes one of the most heavily sprayed crops. After years of spraying the soil, as well as a season of spraying the grapes, the grapes contain contact as well as systemic pesticides. They may not only harm the plants, the soil, and ultimately the environment, but may also be present in the wine as a residue.

Organic farming promotes "biodiversity" and allows other plants to grow in and around the vineyard. Instead of using chemical substances to eliminate weeds, vintners let them grow. In place of herbicides they cultivate the soil and plant cover crops. They use only natural fertilizers, such as composted animal manure, and cultivate beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, to keep the less-welcome ones away.

Grapes are hand picked, which allow only the ripest and healthiest to be used in wine production. An independent body of certification (accredited by the USDA), has to control each winegrower, once or twice a year, to test if he meets the standards for organic farming.

But being "organic" doesn't stop when the grapes are picked. The winemaking process itself is a factor. Organic wineries keep physical treatment of the wine to a minimum level, although the temperature is controlled throughout.

Further, to call a wine "organic," it must not contain added sulfur dioxide, or sulfites. A natural byproduct of the fermentation process, sulfites are essential to prevent oxidation or bacterial spoilage of the wine. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture allows organic wines contain up to 100ppm of sulfites in the final product, many contain less than that; organic red wine, for example, often contains only 40ppm. Conventional winemakers generally add sulfites, and the sulfite levels of their wines will be twice as high.

Organic wines haven't had a good reputation throughout the years, but you'd be surprised at how far they've come. Add a glass of organic wine to that next organic meal, and make it tasty, heart-healthy, and environmentally friendly.

About the Author

Debbie O'Meara is the owner of www.organic-food-and-drink.com, full of resources and information about organic food and beverages, including wine.

Thoughts about Wine Industry

Wine Storage Options for Serious Wine Collectors

Wine asset management, as serious wine collecting and storage has come to be known, is available in a variety of configurations depending on what a wi...

Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Tesco Wine festival launched with up to 50% off a wide range of wines

At Tesco providing customers with quality wine at affordable prices has always been a priority, and from now until the first week of October, customer...

Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Recommended Wine Industry Items

WINE TALL VINA 10.25Z, CS 1/DZ, 08-1360 LIBBEY GLASS, INC. GLASSWARE

More product information

Wine Decanter Washing Brush

Soft, flexible foam wand reaches every corner to clean decanters & ready them for the next bottle.

Customer Review: PERFECT for cleaning the decanter

The wand bends to get around in the crevices of the decanter. I would recommend this brush!

Customer Review: Great product

I bought this as a gift for my dad and have used it several times in his decanter (as shown on the advert). I have found the brush to be exceptional. It easily bends to the contour of the decanter while staying put when exerting some pressure for the cleaning. He has been very happy with the brush as well.
More product information

Labels: Uk, Wine Tasting

&type=page">

Posted by Larry Johnson | 0 comments

10:33 AM

We have avoided repetitions of any sort in the matter on Wine Manners . However, if you do come across any repetitions, do bear with us.

A Featured Wine Manners Article

All About French Wines

Although France is not the world's biggest producer of wine, it produces the most amount of wine by value. Many connoisseurs consider French wines to be superior to all other wines in the world. There are ten wine-making regions that produce French wines -- Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Languedoc-Roussillon, the Loire Valley, Provence, Corsica, the South West, and the Cotes du Rhone.

Grapes grown in France, and at any vineyard in fact, are grown under a very specific set of conditions that contribute to its taste. This is called terroir (a French word that is difficult to translate into English), and French wines are famous for their terroir. Some conditions that contribute to taste include grape variety, climate of the area, slope, soil chemistry below the vine, and/or the length of the post-harvesting process to finish the wine. French wines collectively have over 100 different terroirs, which is a huge variety of different conditions where grapes are grown. In turn, this produces numerous different wines, so almost no one bottle of French wine is the same as another.

There are 19 grape varieties which can produce everything from cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and pinot noir (red wines) to chardonnay, chenin blanc, and pinot gris (white wines). French wines and their labels can be difficult to understand if you don't know French. French wines are labeled by the region they come from. Most other wines are labeled by variety, like "cabernet sauvignon" or "chardonnay." So knowing which wine to choose takes a little bit of advance knowledge on which regions produce the kind of wine you're looking for. For example, the Pomerol and St. Emilion regions of France only produce merlots. In Burgundy, merlot and cabernet sauvignon grapes are grown.

Buying wine online can have many advantages, as well as disadvantages for the consumer and seller buying wine online For the true wine connoisseur, buying wine online can be a good way of finding obscure or hard-to-find wines. Many web sites out there allow the mystified shopper to organize wine types according to what they're looking for or what they prefer. Plus, they usually include wine reviews that can guide the novice to some pretty good wine experiences. However, buying wine online also has some drawbacks.

If while buying wine online, you order a single bottle, shipping costs can get very expensive. This is because the wine plus bottle are typically very heavy. If buying wine online, it is most practical to buy in bulk. This will save you money on shipping costs, since it will cost less per bottle to ship. Some distributors will also give a hefty discount when buying in bulk. Bottles of wine are also extremely vulnerable to major temperature changes during shipping.

Taste can be affected by temperature, humidity, light, and vibration, all of which could impact the shipment during transit. Having your wine shipped during the spring or fall months will most likely minimize temperature changes during shipping. During summer or winter, hot or cold temperatures could ruin your shipment. Quicker shipping options could also minimize temperature changes.

A little less than half of the states in the US also prohibit direct shipment of alcoholic beverages to anyone who lives in that state. Translation -- buying wine online doesn't mean you'll be able to receive it. Those states that do allow shipment to you from buying wine online have many restrictions that can affect your planned shipment. You should do your homework before ordering that special bottle of chardonnay to be delivered to your doorstep.

Find wine, bar and alcohol accessories online at WineandBarAccessories.net: whether you're hosting a dinner party or a wine tasting event, there are a variety of wine and bar accessories any good host should have on hand. From wine racks to cabinets and glasses and corkscrews, a variety of items exist for the wine lovers and hard liquor drinkers in your life. For more on wine information visit Killerwines.com

Another short Wine Manners review

How to Make Wine at Home

Today, wine-making is considered something of an art form. People pay ridiculous amounts of money for what they consider to be fine wines. But years a...

Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Wine Manners Items For Viewing

Foldable Stemware Dryer

Washing glasses just got a whole lot easier. Now you have the perfect tool for air-drying your fine wine glasses. This cool steel stand hangs up to eight stems up to 9 3/4'H for spotless drip-drying. Rubber feet prevent slippage and it folds up flat for storage or travel. 10'H x 16'W x 8 1/2'D.

Price: 24.95 USD

Sparkling Wines
Wine Shopping
Wine Sauces | Wine Search

Labels: Uk, Wine Tasting | Wine Tasting