Organic white wine: wine in its finest expression

A return to consumption closer to nature

Over the past few years, we have witnessed a massive shift in the population towards more considered, more environmentally friendly consumption: consuming yes, but consuming better. It is within this same logic that organic wines, as well as biodynamic wines, have taken an increasingly important place in the hearts of lovers of good white wine.

In France, as with all other organic products, it is the AB label that clearly identifies an organic white wine.

A wine with the AB label is therefore a wine produced from organic farming, adhering to a strict set of specifications. Winemakers are subject to various inspections to ensure that the rules are properly applied. Whether white, red, rosé or even orange, an organic wine is therefore necessarily made from vines that are themselves AB-certified. Inputs are strictly limited, while chemical fertilisers and synthetic pesticides are entirely absent.

Buying an organic wine therefore provides the certainty of being in the presence of committed winemakers, who are committed to respecting nature and the environment, while also aiming to rediscover the true taste of wine. Indeed, by showing greater respect for the plant (the grape) and the nature (the fauna and flora) that surrounds it, one obtains a wine with more character, more balance, one that communicates its terroir and its origins, without artifice.

This is notably the case for the Grand Vin white from Château l'Hospitalet, an exceptional organic wine born of a unique terroir, situated on limestone soil, a few hundred metres from the Mediterranean Sea, delivering mineral and saline flavours of great finesse.

An organic (or biodynamic) wine thus encompasses notions of ideology and awareness of the world around us, as well as notions of simplicity, for a return to a life closer to nature. Tasting an organic wine is all of this at once!

Discover the collection of organic white wines from Gérard Bertrand estates.

Organic white wine: with or without added sulphites?

Here is a question regularly asked by novice wine enthusiasts: is an organic wine necessarily without added sulphites? The answer is: no, not always!

Sulphites, which are simply sulphur dioxide, are present naturally in wine, in small quantities. However, an additional addition of sulphites during the winemaking process makes the wine more resistant, preventing it from being degraded by oxygen, and also preventing it from turning into vinegar!

An organic wine therefore necessarily contains sulphites, in small quantities. The winemaker then decides whether to vinify it with or without additional sulphites. Nevertheless, in all cases, a white wine with the AB organic label and with added sulphites will contain approximately half the sulphites of a traditional white wine. There are of course organic white wines without added sulphites, such as the cuvée Prima Nature, an organic white wine that also holds the Vegan label, offering one of the purest tasting experiences.

The taste of organic!

Opening a bottle of organic wine, whether white, red or rosé, brings an extra dose of pleasure. Indeed, tasting the finest organic white wines offers clean, fresh and straightforward flavours. The absence of tannin structure in a white wine allows, unlike a red wine, for an additional lightness. Just like rosé, organic white wine is thus easy to drink, and will be an excellent choice to accompany an aperitif, to start a meal with a salad, or to complement a delicate dish.

The aromas and flavours of an organic wine are most often associated with the plant world, whether floral aromas (anise, bay laurel, hawthorn, violet, vanilla, etc.), or fruit flavours (white-fleshed fruits, citrus fruits, exotic fruits, etc.). Organic white wines also offer a generous dose of indulgence. Tasting the finest white wines is very often associated, to our great delight, with pleasurable foods — one speaks of candied, toasted, grilled or brioche-like flavours…

A fine example of an organic white wine that is surprisingly high in quality and intensity is the Aigle Royal bottle from Domaine de l'Aigle, a Languedoc-Roussillon wine (AOP Limoux) certified AB and Demeter, produced from a noble grape variety, Chardonnay, grown on a vineyard plot situated at 500 metres above sea level.

Discover the organic wine collections from Gérard Bertrand.

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And find out everything about organic red wine and organic rosé wine.Learn more about white wine, orange wine, red wine or rosé wine.