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What is organic wine?

Certified organic wine is made with 100% organic grapes, the wine maker cannot use any toxic pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers. Instead they fertilize with compost, compost teas, green manure, and cover crops. They also rely on mechanical weeding, mowing around the vines, mulching, and companion planting, it provides habitats for beneficial creatures. To avoid the use of insecticides they let chickens graze and they hand pick the worms off leaves. Organic wine popularity is growing every year and spreading worldwide.

Organic vineyard

In 2012 EU adopted organic wine making regulations, which covers organic certification of the whole production process from vineyards to bottles. The regulations rule that Organic wine (or bio wines) should be produced with grapes organically grown, where synthetic insecticides or herbicides etc. are prohibited and fertilizers of natural origins can be used to maintain sustainability. In addition, the EU regulations define a set of principles for wine-making practices and substances, for example the level of sulfites should be 30-50 mg per liter lower than the conventional equivalent.The number of organic vineyards has increased three times between 2004 and 2011. In April 2018 it has been estimated to be between 8% and 12% and the market share is still increasing.

EU Organic logo

Certification of organic wine in Europe is performed by a number of organizations including ECOCERT, IFOAM, AIAB, DEMETER which operate in concert with the EU organic wine regulations. Since 2012 EU has provided the unified organic logo, expressed in green leaf(left), as a symbol for organic food across Europe. This logo as well as the code assigned for each certification organization are printed on the back label on the bottle.

Biodynamic agriculture employs an overlaying philosophy that comes from the teachings of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner back in the 1920's, where all animals, plants and the solar system are regarded as living inter-related system that impact on each other. It takes into consideration astral influences, the rhythm of nature and the use of homeopathic-type plant preparations, which favors rebalancing and revitalizing the plant rather than treating it in case of disease. It uses specific herbs and preparations to achieve this. Biodynamic wines are certified by a few bodies including DEMETER. Some biodynamic wine producers couldn't be careless about obtaining the certification. We call these wines Biodynamically produced wines.

The period to convert a conventional vineyard to an organic one is set to three years or longer under the EU organic regulations. The wine produced during this period can be called In Conversion.

For some wines limited amount of herbicides can be used under the regulation of certified bodies. This practice is called "lutte raisonnée", meaning "the reasoned struggle", a middle path between conventional and strictly organic farming, and these wines are called Reduced in our website.

Natural Wine, also called raw wine or living wine, contains no or little amount of additives, sulfite in particular. Natural Wine is farmed organically or biodynamically, and is made with mimimum interventions in the naturally occurring fermentation process. As such neither fining nor (tight) filtration are used. The result is a living wine – wholesome and rich in naturally occurring microbiology. However there is no legislation bodies or consensus around its exact definition as of writing. This name is therefore not certified yet. Each wine producer has different way to create their natural wine and there are quite a few “Grower associations” you can find such as: Vinnatur, AVN, Vins S.A.I.N.S. , Terra Hungarica.

Egg whites or casein are widely used to remove tiny particles in a wine that cannot be removed by filtration. Vegan wines are made without animal products, so wine producers either leave the particles to sink naturally to the bottom of the wine, or use bentonite, a form of clay or pea protein for fining the wine.

AB,the pioneers of organic farming in France obtained official recognition of the AB label by public authorities in 1993. The Organic Agriculture label (Logo AB) is now recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Code: AT-BIO-302
Austria Bio Garantie GMBH (ABG) was founded in 1993 and the first certification body for organic products in Austria. Their operation include inspection and certification of organic products throughout the whole food chain – ABG is operating on behalf of the food safety authorities. ABG has been a member of IFOAM since 1998.

Australian Certified Organic (ACO) is the Australia's largest certifier for organic and biodynamic produce and has over 1500 operators within its certification system.
ACO provides certification services to operators from all sectors of the organic industry.

AGROBIO is a certification body for organic farming and production in Portugal. It is a member of IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements), and a member of IFOAM-EU Regional Group. It has a recognized public utility status, and plays a threefold role as an association for agriculture, environment and consumer protection.

Established in Turin in 1988, AIAB has contributed to the rules of production of Italian organic agriculture, and today the regulatory witness has moved to the European Union. AIAB has increasingly taken on the role of organizing social, cultural and political promotion with a pioneering role.

Code: IT-BIO-007
Started with a few technician as Bioagricoop scrl in 1984, it became a partner of IFOAM in 1985 to expand organic certification activities. The company was authorized by the Ministry of Agricultural Politics in 2002 to become the present Bioagricert srl.

Code: CH-BIO-006
The head office is located in Frick, Switzerland. Their service portfolio includes recognised inspections and certifications of organic and label products as well as ISO certification and certification to food safety standards. "bio.inspecta" supports farms and firms in the food sector, helping them to develop sustainably and strengthen their market position.

Bioland is the leading association for organic farming in Germany. Since 1971 the Bioland members and their association have been developing an ecologically, economically and socially acceptable alternative to intensive agriculture dependent on industry and debt capital.

Code: IT-BIO-005
BIOS s.r.l. is a Control and Certification Body of the Organic Production Method pursuant to EC Regulation 834/2007 and Regulation EC 889/2008 authorized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for Italy and the Ministry of Agriculture and Development Rural (MADR) for Romania.

Bio Suisse, a private-sector organization, is the federation of more than 6100 Swiss organic farmers. This organization counts 32 organic farmers' associations among its members, as well as the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL.

CAAE is the certification body specializing in organic production. Since 1991, CAAE has been providing certification and inspection services for the food industry.
CCAE is authorized by the competent authorities of the autonomous regions of Andalucia, Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y Leon.

Code: ES-ECO-020-CV
The Committee of Ecological Agriculture of the Valencian Community (CAECV) is the Control Authority in charge of certifying the ecological agri-food products of vegetable or animal origin in the Valencian Community. It is a non profit organization established in July 1993.

Code: ES-ECO-024-MU
The Organic Farming Council of the Region of Murcia (CAERM) is a public authority that started operation in 2000, as the organization in charge of implementing the control system of Organic Farming in the region. This council achieved legal personality in December 2003, setting up itself as a Public Law Corporation with economic autonomy and full capacity to work to carry out its functions.

Code: ES-ECO-019-CT
CCPAE is the body that controls and certifies agricultural and organic food products in Catalonia in conformity with Regulation (EC) 834/2007 and list of amendment issued by European Commission every year.

Code: IT-BIO-009
CCPB counts Italian Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Food Policy (MIPAAF), the accreditation for Regulation CE 834/07 for organic agriculture, the accreditation in compliance with rule UNI CEI EN 45011.
CCPB is a partner of IFOAM, EOCC (European Organic Certifiers Council) and Quavera.

Code: ES-ECO-028-AR
NPO carries out services for the certification of organic food products in Spain.

Code: IT-BIO-002
Codex ,established in 1995, responds to the request for control and protection by a set of agricultural organizations who are committed to guaranteeing the customers health and the environment.

Codex's primal responsibility is to carry out control and certification activities of organic products for agricultural holdings with crop production.

Code: PT-BIO-08
CODIMACO is a Portuguese company that certifies agricultural food products since 1993. They ensure compliance with national and international regulatory schemes, as well as, market requirements and those of several retail chains.

Code: ES-ECO-025-NA
Ecological agricultural and livestock production is regulated by a European regulation (Regulation (EC) 834/2007 and Regulation (EC) 889/2008) that establishes standards of production, labeling and how these products should be controlled from the farm to the consumer. Since the establishment in 1996, CPAEN is the only public control authority for organic certification services in Navarra .

Code: ES-ECO-035-RI
CPAER in Rioja, Spain disseminates knowledge and application of organic production systems, promotes the consumption and dissemination of organic products and supports the activities of agricultural groups whose purpose is the promotion of organic farming.

Code: IT-BIO-021
CSQA is a certification and inspection company formed in Italy in 1990 from a long established and prestigious institute of biotechnology. Important objectives of CSQA are to verify the safety and consistency of food products, to focus on food safety and sustainability, and also to encourages business continuity and information security.

Code: FR-BIO-01、PT-BIO-02
ECOCERT is an inspection and certification body established in France in 1991 by agronomists aware of the need to develop environmentally friendly agriculture and of the importance of offering some form of recognition to those committed to this method of production.

Code: IT-BIO-008
Ecogruppo Italia was established in 1992, by people who believe in responsible development, while organic food was taking its first steps, following the new-borne European regulation (Reg. EEC 2092/91). The company, which already covers the whole domestic territory, obtains ministerial authorization in 1996 to carry out controls and certification within organic farming. Their operation has extended to Moldavia and Bulgaria.

The ECOVIN Bundesverband Organic Viticulture was founded in 1985 as the largest association of wineries to aiming at producing good wines in Germany. Currently around 230 member companies (ECOVIN certified) manage more than 2300 hectares in 12 German wine-growing areas. Products inspected and certified by ECOVIN bear the EC control number and the ECOVIN trademark on the label.

The European Commission supervises Member States and their organic control bodies, to ensure that they fulfill their responsibilities, based on information in their annual reports and on audits that it carries out. The certification bodies authorized by EU can use the common EU logo and the code number issued by EU on their labels.

Code: IT-BIO-006
ICEA is a non-profit consortium which has evolved from AIAB (Italian Association for Biological Agriculture). The commitment of ICEA, therefore, is to pursue ​​a sustainable and solidarity-based economy model, and goes beyond biological, leading to a lifestyle and economy that requires a responsible conversion of agricultural methods, systems and practices.

Roland Chevriot of Nature et Progrès envisioned the need for organic agriculture and held a meeting in Versaille in 1972 to coordinate their actions and to enable scientific and experimental data on organic to cross borders. This has evolved to become a global and influential organization, called IFORM which consists of 800 affiliates in more than 100 countries.

Code: IT-BIO-003
Since the 1st July, 2014 IMC and CCPB have been merged. CCPB currently is the society managing all the control and certification activity. For the activities of CCPB, visit http://www.ccpb.it

The JAS certification system is designed to ensure the reliability of JAS marks though certification by Registered Certifying Bodies (hereafter RCBs), which are third party organization. The Certified Business Entities, such as producers or manufacturers, or others who have been certified by the RCBs grade their products or inspect production processes by themselves can label JAS marks to their products.

JONA(Japan Organic&Natural Foods Association) is a recognized certification body that was established in Japan in 1993. JONA can certify to international standards as accredited to IFOAM.

Code: SI-EKO-001
スロベニア全体で長年の経験を持つ独立した管理組織です。スロベニアの主要な認証機関として、管理と認証の分野で活動しています(農産物または食品の統合された有機生産と加工、DEMETERガイドラインに従ったバイオダイナミック農法、保護された農産物と食品、農業の管理と認証選択された品質とビーガンをマークした製品と食品)。

Code: ES-ECO-027-RI
Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Environment of the government of La Rioja executes organic certification in conjunction with ECCSYA(Entidad de Control, Certificación y Servicios Agroalimentarios S. A.).

Ministry of Food and Forestry Policies is a government organization that certifies organic agricultural products in Italy.

NASAA Certified Organic (NCO) is a fully-owned subsidiary of The National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA) and provides the certification services to operators within Australia and internationally. NCO offers certification services for many programs including EU, IFOAM, Naturland, USDA-NOP, JAS.

Nature & Progrès is an association of consumers, producing farmers and transforming artisans founded in 1964. It is a historic player in promoting the development of agrobiology and biodynamics in France and Belgium.

Naturland was founded in 1982 and its standards existed before the first EU regulations on organic agriculture law became effective. Naturland's standards also cover some areas beyond the EC organic regulation, such as organic forest management, the manufacture of textiles and cosmetics, social standards, and social issues.

Since 1991, OIA operates as organic certifier of vegetal, animal and processed products, accompanying the Argentinian organic market from the early stages. OIA is member of the Directory of IFOAM ,

QAI provides independent, third-party organic certification to products at every stage from farm to fork to the USDA National Organic Program (NOP); Mexico Organics Product Law Standard (LPO); Canadian Organic Regime (COR); Quebec Organic Reference Standards; European Union Organic Regulation (EU No 1169/2011); Japan Agricultural Standard (JAS) and NSF/ANSI 305 Organic Personal Care Products.

A private organization exercises both organic certification and inspection.

Code: PT-BIO-03
SATIVA,located in Portugal, is a member of Quavera Alliance. Since its foundation in 1994 SATIVA's mission has been an international cooperation among certification bodies including IFOAM with the aim to establish a network to improve the services provided by the various entities.

Code: AT-BIO-902
1878年オーストリアのウィーンに農業検査サービスとして設立。

Code: ES-ECO-002-CM
Sohiscert is a Spanish certification body authorized to certify organic foods according to various standards, including the standards of the European Union, the USDA,Bio Suisse, and JAS.

Code: GB-ORG-05
Soil Association Certification is an independent and the largest certification body in UK. It carries out inspections and awards organic certification to farms and businesses that meet UK's standards.

Code: IT-BIO-004
"Suolo e Salute",meaning Soil and Health, is a control and certification body for agri-food and the environment in Italy. It was founded by the Soil and Health Association in 1969.

Code: IT-BIO-015
Valoritalia was founded in 2009 to adapt to the control system established with the new OCM wine, later turned to meet the issue of organic farming and environmental sustainability. With more than 200 professionals, Valoritalia provides certification services and commits to improve overall organic wine production.

AgriBioDinamica certification is a product quality control and a guarantee of respect and environmental protection throughout the production process. AgriBioDinamica represents an aid and support action for companies that decide to produce in the name of high quality while following the Biodynamic philosophy and methods, to offer the consumer a special, well-finished product.

Created in 1995, Biodyvin is a group of 135 winegrowers in France and Germany. Only properties that are farmed entirely biodynamically, or those that have committed to full conversion after three years, are accepted. In 1998, the organization defined the fundamental principles that members must adhere to in order to be able to describe itself as a biodynamic operation.

Bio–dynamics originated in the early 1920s from the work of Austrian scientist and philosopher, Dr Rudolf Steiner. DEMETER certified bio-dynamic farmers use unique soil, plant and compost preparations that, when practiced successfully, create a humus-rich, well-structured soil ideal for the growth of healthy vibrant plants.National organizations who are members of "Demeter International e.V" are responsible for Demeter certification in their own countries.

The Vegan Society is a registered charity and the oldest vegan society in the world, founded in the UK in 1944 by Donald Watson, Elsie Shrigley, and 23 others.

The Vegan Society ensures all products and its derivatives that are registered are free from animal ingredients. The Vegan Society defines 'animal' as all vertebrates and invertebrates, meaning its animal testing policy does not exclude insects, water fleas or any other creature.

As the holder of the trademark rights, the Switzerland-based V-Label GmbH coordinates international cooperation on the V-Label. The V-Label is an internationally recognised brand that was registered back in 1996.

The ICEA standard for the certification of Vegetarian and Vegan products was developed to promote 100% vegetable consumption.

With the headquarters being located in Vincenza, BIOS has been actively operating for the maintenance of quality and certification in agriculture and food sectors since 1999. One of the recent activities is the certification of vegan products.