Wine Word of the Week: Organic viticulture



By Kori ~ March 27th, 2010.

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is organic viticulture.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Organic viticulture is a system of grape-growing broadly defined as shunning manmade (industrially synthesized) compounds such as fertilizers, fungicides, and pesticides, as well as anything that has been genetically modified. It contrasts with “conventional”, sometimes even called “industrialized” or “chemical” viticulture, by utilizing naturally occurring substances.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Organic viticulture eliminates the use of synthetic products that create toxins in an attempt to build soil, protect the environment, and protect the health of the vineyard employees.


Filed under: Wine Word of the Week

Reader's Comments

  1. Brent Charnley | March 30th, 2010 at 6:05 pm

    I actually like Kori’s definition better than Jancis Robinson’s, as it gets a little closer to what we farmer’s are striving for in chosing organic viticulture: an integrated ecological and sustainable farming system. I try to take it further, creating a farm that recycles and generates its own nutrients, a place with ecological niches for other species and wildlife, and a safe place to work with fair pay for employees.

    Brent Charnley, Lopez Island Vineyards

  2. Kori | April 1st, 2010 at 2:35 pm

    Brent,
    Thank you for your kind words and for sharing how you implement “organic viticulture” in your vineyards. Cheers!