Natural, organic and conventional wine: what are the differences?

Not all wines are made in the same way, even if they all come from grapes. Today there are great differences in the cultivation of grapes, their treatment, and the winemaking processes. Therefore, it is advisable to distinguish between:

What is a conventional wine

• They are those that make following the classic and traditional methods of viticulture and winemaking.
• In them, authorized phytosanitary products can be used in the vineyard. They may also incorporate certain additives.
• Furthermore, they have no specific ecological restrictions.

All this does not mean that they are not quality wines. Conventional wines are made with excellent grapes and great care.

What is an organic wine

Organic wines are made with grapes grown following organic farming standards.

• They do not use synthetic herbicides or pesticides. They are prohibited by ecological regulations.
• They have to pass official controls and certifications
• Their preparation must meet specific ecological requirements.

Organic wines usually have very good quality and proof of this is that more and more Spanish wineries produce these types of wine.

Its identification in Europe is the seal of the Euroleaf. It certifies that at least 95% of the ingredients are of organic origin.

What is a natural wine

• The intervention during its preparation is minimal.
• It generally uses spontaneous fermentations with native yeasts.
• Avoid or greatly limit the use of oenological additives.

It may contain very small amounts of added sulfites or none at all.

It is important to clarify that there is no harmonized legal definition of natural wine in the European Union equivalent to organic certification.

Main differences between the three types of wine

Characteristic                    Conventional                        Ecological                                  Natural

Cultivation of grapes             Traditional                      Organic Certificate              Generally organic

Synthetic pesticides          Allowed/regulations            Restricted                            They are usually avoided

Additives                            Allowed                              Regulated                            Minimum/none

Yeasts                        Selected/natural                          Both options                      Autochthonous

Sulfites                             Allowed                                With Limits                              Absent

Certification                     Not specific                         Yes                                       There is no regulation

Is it healthier to drink organic or natural wine?

The first thing to clarify is that organic wine does not have to have a lower alcohol level than a conventional wine.

Organic wine is not differentiated by its alcohol level, but by its production process as we have already explained.

The same goes for natural wine.

Which wine tastes better?

It is not about determining which wine is better than another, or which wine tastes better. They are different wines with different qualities.

Conventional ones offer a huge variety of styles.

Organic wines can offer very expressive wines that are faithful to their territory.

Natural ones can present different profiles, with greater variability between bottles.

Quality depends mainly on the grape, the vineyard, the producer and the production.

What wine to choose: natural, organic or conventional?

The choice must be based on the tastes of each consumer.

If you are looking for certified wines and production that respects organic standards: choose organic.

If you like minimal intervention wines: try a natural wine.

If you are looking for variety, styles and different prices: the conventional one offers many possibilities.

Discover Spanish organic wines at Iberowine

We invite you to discover Spanish organic wines of different designations of origin, grape varieties and prices.

Remember that wine consumption should always be moderate, and that what is harmful to health is the level of alcohol regardless of how that wine was made.

Article developed by iberoWine