Copper Sulfate and organic wine

Organic wine production allows the use of copper sulfate.

This article by Andrew Porterfield piqued my interest.
Far more toxic than glyphosate: Copper sulfate, used by organic and conventional farmers, cruises to European reauthorization

Porterfield argues that copper sulfate, allowed under European organic regulation, is actually much more harmful that the much more controversial glyphosate treatment.

I am not sufficiently scientifically qualified to assess the arguments here, but there does seem to be a move amongst organic wine growers around here towards, the some what vaguely defined, natural wine approach. Although natural wine, whatever it maybe, tends to concentrate on the use of sulfite after the grapes have been picked, sulfite is used to ‘fix’ or ‘set’ the wine to stop it changing character after it has been made. How you treat the grapes before they are bottled is open to debate.

What is certainly true is that European organic rules are a compromise between organic methods and practical and commercial realities. Organic methods to quote from this useful European Parliament briefing

Organic food: Helping EU consumers make an informed choice

“The term ‘organic’ refers to a method of production. Organic production is an overall system of farm management and food production that aims at sustainable agriculture, high-quality products and the use of processes that do not harm the environment, or human, plant or animal health and welfare. Experts argue that prior to the development of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers in the early 20th century, all food production in the world was de facto organic. Various terms such as ‘bio’, ‘eco’, and ‘organic’ are used to refer to organic products.

However, organically grown foods are not to be confused with foods sold as ‘natural’. This widely used term in food marketing has a variety of definitions, most of which are vague, and is assumed to imply foods that are minimally processed and all of whose ingredients are natural products. The term, ‘bio/biological’ prevails in Latin and Germanic languages. English-speaking countries mostly use the term ‘organic’. In the United States (US), the term ‘organic’ can be used for certified organic products, while the label ‘all-natural’ is a legally unregulated expression.”

However there are practical realities as well. Here in the Languedoc we have wind, lots and lots of wind. If an industrial, that is non organic, grape grower is spraying her or his vines on a windy day than the residue can travel up to six kilometers. That means every vine within six klics has the possibility of coming into contact with what ever treatment is being used.

I think the legal regulations on the separation of organic vines and industrial ones is four rows of vines. Around 6 meters distance, hardly 6 kilometers.

Does it matter if wine is organic or not? Well yes no and maybe. Vines cover less that 2% of France’s agricultural land, but wine makers employ 20% off France’s total consumption of pesticides. They are fragile plants vines and need lots of attention.

In the good old days you drank organic wine out of conviction rather than for the taste, some of the stuff was, and some remains, truly and utterly dreadful. But organic winemakers have moved on, increased their skill set. As more winemakers converted to organic the choice for consumers has widened, and the price range has become more reasonable.

Equally organic winemakers have developed, soil management is now a key issue, using fixing grow cover plants to enrich the soil and suppress the bugs and weeds is now much more common practice. Using sheep to keep down weeds in winter and spread manure on the soil is becoming popular. The move to more natural wines, while on effecting directly a few winemakers has raised the issue of the use of chemicals in the wine making process and caused many to reflect on how they can reduce their dependence on them.

At the end of the day the best solution is to get to know your local wine makers, discuss with them how they grow their grapes and make their wine. Then decide for yourself whether you find their style attractive. It makes for an interesting discussion, and improves your evaluation and appreciation of their wines.