Do you know why you want to buy organic red wine? There are many reasons, really, and most of them are more concrete than it being “trendy” or hip.
Buying organic red wine because it’s healthier sounds good, but is it? Crazily, not only does the lack of pesticides make it healthier, but the fact that the grapes have to fight off disease themselves lends to the benefits.
Resveratrol, that nutrient you hear about so often, is actually created by the grapes when they’re under stress. Resveratrol is the plant’s antibiotic of sorts. The more stress and strife the plant is under, the more resveratrol it produces.
Thus a chemical-free zone like an organic farm is the perfect place for grapes to develop the resistance against fungus and disease. In the human body, this antioxidant resveratrol, keeps the cells healthy.
No Sulfites: A Reason To Buy Organic Red Wine
The main ingredient that wineries add to wine is sulfites. Since the USDA has overseen organics, they have decided that any wine that has added sulfites can not be labeled organic. So why do sulfites matter so much? Sulfites are added to wine as a preservative during the wine making process to prevent oxidation and bacterial development. Without sulfites added to the wine it will spoil quicker once opened.
Naturally occurring sulfates come from the fermenting yeasts present on all grape skins. This is why red wine (which uses the grape skins) has a higher sulfate concentration than white wine (which does not use grape skins).
In order to be classified organic, sulfites present have to be lower than 10ppm per bottle. The greater the concentration, research has shown, the higher chance you will get a headache from drinking the wine.
While it is a commonly held belief that sulfites cause red wine headaches, no study has been able to prove that. Furthermore, there are more sulfites in lettuce, dried fruit and lunchmeat than in red wine and few complain from “lunchmeat” headaches
If you find local organic wine suppliers, with wines at an affordable price – then go for it (but please let us know so we can add them to our list).
Finally, one more reason to buy organic wine is because few people have tried it. That makes it the perfect occasion to hold a wine tasting party.