Organic, biodynamic, and natural wines
As wine is derived from a plant, the agricultural methods practised in order to make it are as varied as for any other such product. In conventional viticulture, synthetic pesticides are used as well as crop protection agents. In organic viticulture no synthetic pesticides are used, a method that involves only natural products. Biodynamic viticulture has a lot in common with organic growing, except there is an additional holistic element to it with a whole framework of experimental practices.For around twenty years now, conventional methods have been questioned by both consumers and producers themselves due to the widespread use of crop protection products and pesticides. What we can observe at the moment is the progressive evolution of an entire system of production, an evolution that has very much taken the wine industry along with it. Processes are becoming “cleaner”, with sustainable, organic, biodynamic, and natural approaches to both growing and vinification. Some domains have been doing this for a long time, but momentum has picked up since the end of the 2000s, turning what was relatively niche into a flourishing movement.