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Drink up: 10 best organic wines
Try these tipples made from grapes grown without pesticides, fungicides, herbicides or artificial fertilisers
Organic wines have never been so popular. The main attraction, says Oscar Malek, Chewton Glen hotel’s wine and bar director, is the creation of “a natural, sustainable product that gives off a prominent sense of individuality, purpose and provenance.”
“If a winemaker is prepared to put themselves through the arduous process of harvesting organically grown grapes and producing wine in a natural, terroir-driven fashion, then they must be producing a wine of calibre, with concentrated fruit flavours, structure and aging potential,” he explains.
Disappointingly, not all retailers have much of a selection of organic wines. Another downside is that you can pay through the nose for them. So we have called on the expertise of both Oscar Malek and James Hocking, Director of Wine at The Vineyard in Berkshire, to come up with a round-up of the organic wines to suit all budgets.
Click on the gallery to see the IndyBest buys
Verdict:
Sainsbury’s SO Organic South African Fairtrade Cabernet Sauvignon NV is kind on the purse strings, as well as being a fantastically drinkable red wine. For a superb dessert wine, Clos Lapeyre Jurançon Moelleux is delicious and versatile. And for a great white, it’s got to be Chateau Gaillard Touraine Sauvignon Blanc.
Buy now
1. Bonterra Organic Zinfandel, California, USA, ÂŁ11.50
2. SO Organic South African Fairtrade Cabernet Sauvignon NV, Western Cape, ÂŁ6 (in store only)
3. Blanchard Pineau des Charentes NV, France, ÂŁ16.99
4. Barone Pizzini Franciacorta Rose, Italy, ÂŁ24
5. Clos Lapeyre Jurançon Moelleux, France, £13.60
6. Chateau Gaillard Touraine Sauvignon Blanc, France, ÂŁ8.90
7. Emiliana Orgánico, £14.89
8. Yalumba Organic Viognier, South Australia, ÂŁ9.49