Cellarmaster has launched Organic Wine Reservation – a quarterly subscription to organic wines as it looks to keep up with a nearly 400 per cent increase in organic wine sales over the last 12 months.
And while organic wines are becoming increasingly popular Cellarmasters said that a recent survey it carried out of 1300 wine drinkers, revealed that almost 40 per cent of organic wine drinkers state they struggle to find organic wines.
“Food and wine go hand in hand, and with more Aussies buying organic groceries, it makes sense that they want to go green with their reds, whites and rosés as well,” said Joe Armstrong, Head of Wine at Cellarmasters.
“If we dialled back the clock a few years, many organic wines didn’t have a great reputation. Often the focus was on the wine being organic, rather than the wine being of quality. Today, many winemakers and growers are striving to produce high quality organic wines across most price points – and wine consumers are loving it,” he added.
“We wanted to make it easy and affordable for those who want to drink green with our quarterly, automated delivery of organic wines. The wines in every case have been handpicked by our panel of experts, and for just $120 per case (six wines), including delivery, I’d like to think it’s great value.”
Organic wine is made from grapes grown without the addition of synthesised chemical fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. Organic certifying bodies also place restrictions on the amount of sulphur dioxide that can be added to the wine and the chemical fining agents used in the winemaking process.
According to winemaker David Paxton, owner of Paxton Wines in McLaren Vane, a leader in organic and biodynamic viticulture and winemaking, the first thing many wine drinkers comment on after taking a sip of organic wine is its clarity and purity of flavour.
“Organic-biodynamic farming allows us to capture the natural beauty of the grapes, which you can taste in the clear flavours of the wine,” he said.
To sell Certified Organic Wine in Australia a winery must be certified. There are a number of different certification bodies including Australian Certified Organic, NASAA Organic, Certified BioGroOrganic – there should be a logo on the bottle to confirm the wine is Certified Organic.