Welcome to the fifth part of our series on organic and biodynamic wine. Where the previous parts dealt with the more principled approaches like organic farming, biodynamics and natural wine, here we zoom out and look at a slightly broader concept: sustainability in the vineyard.
Sustainability has become one of those words you encounter more and more often as you delve into the world of wine. But what does it actually cover, and how does it differ from organic farming? You will find the answers here, so you can better understand what lies behind the bottle the next time you stand looking at a label.
What you will learn
- What sustainability actually covers in the vineyard
- How soil, biodiversity and climate are connected to quality
- Which resources a vineyard draws on, and how they can be managed
- How sustainability relates to organic farming, and where the two overlap
What sustainability covers
Sustainability is a holistic concept. Where organic farming is about concrete rules for what you may and may not use in the vineyard, sustainability is just as much about the long-term balance between nature, resources and operations. The idea is simple: a vineyard should be able to be cultivated for many generations without depleting the soil, the water and the environment it rests upon.
In practice, this means a producer thinks across many factors at once. How is the soil cared for, so that it stays alive? How are the plants and animals living around the vines protected? And how are water, energy and climate change handled in a way that holds up in the long run?
It is important to remember that sustainability is not one fixed standard, but a direction. Two producers can both work sustainably and still do things differently, because conditions vary from vineyard to vineyard.
Soil and biodiversity
The soil is the foundation beneath all wine growing. The uppermost, thin part of the soil layer holds most of the vine's roots and its supply of nutrients, while the subsoil governs drainage and access to minerals deeper down. A healthy soil that is neither waterlogged nor parched gives the vine the best conditions for ripening its grapes.
That is why caring for the soil is absolutely central in sustainable agriculture. Rather than treating the vineyard as a sterile surface, many producers actively work to keep the soil alive. This can be done by letting plants grow between the rows, by avoiding compacting the soil and by looking after the fine web of microlife that helps the vine absorb nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphate and potassium.
Biodiversity is closely connected to this. The more plants, insects and animals that thrive around the vineyard, the more robust the whole system becomes. A vineyard with rich biodiversity can often better withstand pests and diseases on its own, because nature regulates itself to a certain degree. This reduces the need for intervention and strengthens the vineyard's ability to maintain balance year after year.
Why it matters for the grapes
It is not only a question of nature for nature's own sake. The growing method affects the quality of the grapes at least as much as the grape variety itself. A soil in good balance gives vines that ripen more evenly, and that carries over into the wine that ends up in the glass.
Climate and resources
Wine is grown within a relatively narrow climate belt, where temperature, sunlight and rainfall suit the vine's needs. It is precisely for this reason that the vineyard is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Frost at bud break and flowering can damage an entire harvest, and flowering is the most critical phase in the vine's whole annual cycle. When the weather becomes more unpredictable, it becomes even more important to manage the vineyard's resources wisely.
Water is one of the most obvious resources to consider. The vine gets by far the largest part of its water from the soil through its roots, and a soil with a good ability to retain moisture can therefore help the vineyard through dry periods without unnecessary irrigation. Sustainable water management is about giving the vine enough, but no more than necessary.
Energy also plays a role. This applies to everything from the work in the vineyard to the handling of the grapes after harvest. Here sustainability is seen, for example, in the attention paid to treating the grapes gently, so they are not damaged unnecessarily, and in the efforts to reduce waste and consumption at every stage.
Taken together, it is about leaving the vineyard in at least as good a state as it was received in, ideally better.
Sustainability vs. organic farming
It is easy to confuse the two concepts, and they do indeed overlap on many points. But they are not the same.
Organic farming is, as you can read more about in What is organic wine?, defined by concrete rules for which agents you may use in the vineyard and the cellar. It is a regulated concept, often tied to certification. Sustainability is broader and more overarching. It includes organic farming's focus on natural methods, but also incorporates considerations such as water, energy, climate and social responsibility, which the organic rules do not necessarily cover.
This means that a wine can perfectly well be grown sustainably without being certified organic, and vice versa. In practice, many producers move somewhere between the two approaches and take the best from each. If you want to delve deeper into the more principled directions, you can read about biodynamic wine and natural wine elsewhere in the series.
The most important point is that neither sustainability nor organic farming is in itself a guarantee of a particular taste. They tell you something about how the wine came to be, and it is that knowledge that makes you a more conscious wine drinker.
In short
- Sustainability is a holistic concept about the long-term balance between nature, resources and operations in the vineyard.
- Healthy, living soil and high biodiversity make the vineyard more robust and positively affect the quality of the grapes.
- Climate change makes wise management of water and energy more important than ever.
- Sustainability is broader than organic farming, which rests on concrete rules, but the two overlap and are often combined in practice.
Frequently asked questions
Is sustainable wine the same as organic wine?
No. Organic farming is based on fixed rules for what may be used in the vineyard and the cellar, and is often certified. Sustainability is a broader concept that also covers water, energy and climate. A wine can be grown sustainably without being certified organic.
Does sustainable wine taste different?
Not automatically. The growing method affects the quality of the grapes, but sustainability in itself is not a particular taste. It tells you about the path to the bottle, not about whether the wine suits your particular palate.
Ready for the next step?
Now that you have a picture of what sustainability covers in the vineyard, the question follows naturally: can you actually taste the difference? We take a closer look at that in the next part, Does organic wine taste different?.
Do bring your new knowledge along when you look around the selection and explore wines from producers who work with care for the soil. And then remember the simple thing: the best pairing is still the wine you like with the food you love. The rest is cosy exploration.