By Karl Smith.
When it comes to material innovation, terminology really is everything. The question of whether a material is recycled, bio-based, organic, plastc-free or biodegradable isn’t just semantics – it’s vital to understanding that product’s potential and for understanding its impact.
The same goes for wine.
Okay, well not quite the same. But the potential for misunderstanding is still there and – as a cursory google will tell you – so is the confusion among consumers. Perhaps nowhere more so than questions about biodynamic and organic wine, how they differ and what those words actually mean for what you’re drinking.
In a break from our scheduled posting about grape leather, then, we’re going to talk about something completely different. Today, we’re going to talk about wine. (We know, right, who could have seen that coming?)
Specifically, we’re going to break down the difference between organic and biodynamic wines because – just like with the materials we wear – we know these words aren’t just unnecessary admin. So, with that in mind…
What Is Organic Wine?
If your first thought here is something like, “Huh? Wine is made from grapes and sugar and the process for making it is about as old as human civilisation as we know it,” then that’s honestly an understandable response. But, while the basic ingredients and the foundational process of winemaking have remained somewhat unchanged for millennia, the tools at our disposal and the ways in which we consume have changed over time.
In short, then, an organic wine is a wine made from organically-grown grapes – in the US it also means a wine has to be free from sulfites, though this doesn’t hold true in Europe or Canada. What this means in practice is that the grapes are grown without (or with significantly reduced) chemical pesticides and fertilisers – essentially, they’re allowed to grow organically and tended with the care and attention that requires.
Interestingly, to be “organic,” a wine doesn’t have to be as simple as grapes, sugar and yeast; in fact, it doesn’t even have to be vegan – it can contain anything from egg whites to animal rennet and still fall under the banner of being a “bio wine.”
And if this is sounding familiar to you in terms of how the fashion industry talks about next-generation materials, you’re not wrong to draw that connection. The waters are murky, and different words mean different things to different people – even if the guidance itself isn’t that vague at all.
Basically, though, if the wine is organic then you should be pretty comfortable knowing that it came from a good place. But that doesn’t mean the process was perfect or the journey from vine to vat to filling up your glass isn’t worth questioning.
So, if that’s organic…
Organic Grapes from Domaine de Belambree, Puyricard, Aix en Provence.
What Is Biodynamic Wine?
Okay, here’s where it gets a little (more) complicated. While not all organic wine is biodynamic, all biodynamic wine is by definition organic. Kind of like how something can be bio-based but not necessarily biodegradable.
As with regular organic wine, then, if it’s biodynamic then you can more or less guarantee a low-intervention approach to the growing process – fewer of the kinds of chemicals that have no real business ever getting near a human body or, for that matter, the soil.
The main difference between biodynamic and organic winemaking, however, isn’t so much the process itself as the ways in which we think about them. Where organic wine is the product of a clear-cut set of rules and guidelines with specific quantifiable outcomes, biodynamic growing and production are somewhat less rigid and considerably less measurable in terms of what they actually bring to the finished product.
Biodynamic agriculture, for instance, follows lunar and celestial calendars to dictate the best times for things like pruning, watering and harvesting grapevines. The method also demands a certain way of treating the soil – a selection of special “preparations” that are, let’s say, debatable when it comes to their actual contribution. Some biodynamic vignerons even suggest there should be what feels like a semi-ritualistic element to this: that the preparations ought to be buried in cow horns or inside of internal organs to better communicate their potency to the earth. It’s fair to say that last part is hard to back up with anything like what you might call “science.”
Biodynamism, then, is more like a belief system or philosophy than it is a rigorous methodology or set of concrete requirements for making wine.
Perhaps the most apt way of thinking about all of this is to consider organic wine as analogous to bio-based materials where biodynamic wines are comparable more to a material that’s labelled only as “vegan.” Yes, there may be some crossover, but where the former tends to be the product of heavy R&D and fairly strict regulations for applying the term, the latter just means that no animals were harmed in the process of its creation and, realistically, there could be anything in there.
In the end, which you prefer comes down to not only what you want but what you believe. Then, doesn’t everything?
Biodynamic Handpicked Grapes from Château Léoube, Bormes-les-Mimosas, Provence
ORGANIC WINE VERSUS BIODYNAMIC WINE: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Organic Wine vs. Biodynamic Wine: What’s in Your Glass (and Why It Matters)
At Planet of the Grapes, we love a good glass of wine almost as much as we love questioning labels — especially the ones that shape how we think about sustainability.
So let’s clear up some confusion that crops up again and again in both the wine world and material innovation:
Organic wine = grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers. It follows strict rules, but still allows some leeway (yes, it can even contain animal products).
Biodynamic wine = a more philosophical approach. It goes further — aligning with lunar cycles, special soil preps (cow horns included), and a deep-rooted belief in ecological harmony. All biodynamic wine is organic, but not all organic wine is biodynamic.
Just like in material science, terms matter. They shape our choices, our perceptions, and our trust.
So whether you’re sipping or sourcing, it’s worth digging into what these labels really mean.
Because in the end, transparency is always worth toasting to.
#WineWisdom #SustainableLiving #PlanetOfTheGrapes #NextGenMaterials #EcoInnovation #CircularDesign #Biodynamic #OrganicWine #MaterialTransparency #FutureFabrics