Organic, biodynamic, natural...
What is truly behind all these names?
When we are talking about wine, often this terms are not used accurately, leading to confusion or scepticism. We will try to shed a little bit more of light about those concepts, which can also vary from depending on the country.
As a matter or fact, all these different designations should have something in common: that no synthetic chemicals have been used when the fruit was still on the plant, and that just a minimum of additives were incorporated in the winery. What makes them different from a conventional wine? At first sight not much. If our wine has not been fined or filtered (which it is often a chemical procedure) it might look cloudy or have dregs. But the real difference can be noted by the connoiseur, who will taste a unique flavour in the case of wines that have been produced by respecting the natural fermentation process of the grapes.
And here come the differences. For a wine to be certified as organic, the public regulatory agency (in the case of Spain) will just check if the substances used in the vineyard and the winery are among those authorised. As long as no phytosanitaries have been used, the wine will receive its organic seal.
Biodynamic is a more problematic concept. Although there are (private) agencies, such as the German Demeter, which award the seal, unfortunately the term is often used as an added value without having much of a real base. As we understand it at Kirios de Adrada, biodynamic farming sees the vineyard as an ecosystem, in which the astrological influences and lunar cycles also have their say. It also should mean that, as in our winey, the wine does not undergo any common manipulations, such as the adding of yeast or the adjustments of acidity.
Last, there are also the so-called natural wines, an ambiguous term that is nonetheless becoming trendy. Natural wines, which to this moment have not been certified by any entity, should fullfill the requirements to be considered organic, but they take one step more. They reject the manipulations that wine usually suffers in the winery: yeasts, bacteries for correcting the fermentation. No acid, sugar or alcohol is added, and sulfur dioxide, commonly used as a disinfectant, is absent. Moreover, no techniques that disgregate artificially the different wine components, such as inverse osmosis, most concentration or criomaceration, can be employed.
Also of great importance is the direct participation of the vintner in every stage of the process, in which the manual and traditional work replace mechanics. The human factor comes to the front of the scene, since it becomes essential in order to make sure that everything is running in the way it should. For example, the taste is the fundamental sense when it comes to check the oxidation potential.
In the end, organic, biodynamic or natural are just labels. What counts for us is the commitment with the environment, with our winegrapes and with those who will enjoy our wines, and also not least with ourselves. They say that the Kirios de Adrada wine tastes like the earth on which it was brought forth, and this is a good signal: we let the grape express itself by following the natural process , with the minimal intervention, but under a constant and caring supervision.