Organic Vs. Conventional Wine Growing
In conventional agriculture, chemical fertilizers are used to promote larger yields and protect against disease. These same chemicals are absorbed through the roots into the vine's sap and are then passed through leaves, and stems into the fruit. As a result, residues of these chemicals find their way into the finished wine. In addition to the effects of direct consumption, conventional 'chemical based' farming has a significant impact on soil and water quality. Wine growers farming with chemicals have to wear 'hazmat' style clothing and breathing apparatus to protect themselves while crop spraying.
Proponents of organically grown wine believe that chemical farming destroys the uniqueness of the land, and the unique flavor that this 'terroir' imparts to the wine.
In the USA, strict rules govern the organic winemaking process at all stages of production including harvesting, the types of yeast that can be used during fermentation as well as storage conditions. These rules are applied for all imported and domestic wines that acquire USDA certification. In the USA, the total sulfite level must be less than 20 parts per million in order to receive organic certification.
Read more about this topic: Organic Wine
Famous quotes containing the words organic, conventional, wine and/or growing:
“The following general definition of an animal: a system of different organic molecules that have combined with one another, under the impulsion of a sensation similar to an obtuse and muffled sense of touch given to them by the creator of matter as a whole, until each one of them has found the most suitable position for its shape and comfort.”
—Denis Diderot (1713–1784)
“The mastery of one’s phonemes may be compared to the violinist’s mastery of fingering. The violin string lends itself to a continuous gradation of tones, but the musician learns the discrete intervals at which to stop the string in order to play the conventional notes. We sound our phonemes like poor violinists, approximating each time to a fancied norm, and we receive our neighbor’s renderings indulgently, mentally rectifying the more glaring inaccuracies.”
—W.V. Quine (b. 1908)
“Thales claimed that everything was water. He also put wine into water to sterilize it. Did he really believe he was putting water into water to sterilize it? Parmenides, like most Greeks, knew that wine was not water. But while lifting a glass of wine to his lips, he denied that motion was possible. Did he really believe that the glass was not moving when he lifted it?”
—Avrum Stroll (b. 1921)
“A new and terrible aristocracy was growing up among them,—the aristocracy of hidden firearms.”
—Anthony Trollope (1815–1882)