There are certain things that we are rather chauvinistic about and wine is one of them. It must be said that our French winegrowers are true masters in the field, so we love to enjoy the fruit of their labor. Well -known French appellations , we have a few in mind, but do they exist organically? Let's see it together.
Why produce organic wine?
Producing organic wine is far from being a fad or a commercial technique. Yes, at first glance you could say to yourself “it's to do like everyone else”, “it's to surf the trend”, “it's marketing”. Marketing, really? To be certified organic and to put the AB label logo on their bottle labels, winegrowers must spend three years converting to organic viticulture and organic winemaking. During this period, there are often losses and great difficulty in finding a good balance in the vines and in the cellar. Converting to organic therefore requires a large financial investment but also temporal and even psychological. Yes, winegrowers are humans like us and we know it, changing our habits is tough. So no, we can't say that organic is marketing because we don't become one overnight and above all it's a real risk-taking. Yields are sometimes lower in organic viticulture and mastering this new approach to the vine requires a lot of know-how.
The conversion to organic viticulture is a sign that the winegrower wishes to better maintain his soil, work in harmony with nature and respect his environment. The winegrowers are really sensitive, they love the land and when they realize that conventional viticulture is damaging their terroir, they do not hesitate to turn their backs on it and give back the keys to nature.
Some winegrowers partially maintain their estate in organic viticulture or biodynamic viticulture to test these new methods and improve. Yes, our French winegrowers are very disciplined, as patient and diligent as ninja students. We reassure you, it is not with a saber that they cut the bunches of vines or with a kick that they trample the berries, whatever, that would be very vintage!
You want to know more about white grape varieties and black grape varieties , we invite you to discover these articles
There is little chance that you will come across an organic version and a non-organic version of the same bottle because organic is not a facade, a fad, a word that is affixed to the label, it is a real commitment. On the other hand, you will surely see over the years more and more conventional wines becoming organic because more and more winegrowers want to offer their vines and their wines the most natural care possible.
If you are interested, we talk about natural wines in this article
So, what about our beautiful French appellations ?
The great organic wines of France
If you are told French wine, what do you have in mind? Immediately, we think of a character with a beret, a baguette, a piece of cheese and a glass of wine in hand. It's a bit caricatural for sure, but we like this image because it brings together everything we love. So what do you fill that glass with? A good Châteauneuf-du-Pape , an unmissable Saint-Emilion Grand Cru or a great Château Palmer ?
The good news is that these three appellations are produced organically. At Oé we spoil you and we offer you two because we worked with Emmanuel to produce you a beautiful bottle of Châteauneu-du-Pape with bewitching aromas , committed from head to toe.
We also worked hand in hand with (...) to offer you a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru that is truer than nature and more natural than nature, since it is certified organic! A real treat, healthy and responsible.
It is often said, the greats must lead by example, well in wine, the recognized domains with their Grands Crus do not hesitate to lead the way. You would think that only small wineries are trying the experiment but nay, in Bordeaux and Burgundy , the wine regions where the best French wines and the most famous French wines are produced, many large estates are in viticulture organic and biodynamic viticulture.
You shouldn't judge a book by its cover or a bottle by its label because not everything is necessarily written on it. Many prestigious wines are very attached to their label, free of logos and certifications , simply and proudly displaying the name of the estate and the appellation. If the logo of the “AB” label or the “Demeter” label are absent, the wines may still have been produced organically or biodynamically . The best example is probably that of Domaine de la Romanée Conti , a staple of Burgundy wines . Well known for having sold the most expensive bottle in the world, few people are aware that the vineyard has been maintained biodynamically for years because no logo is affixed to the bottle. Sometimes you have to go fishing for information to find out the secrets of a wine and its domain. Don't worry, the Oé bird is here to help you and thanks to our articles you will be real experts.
You can ask the winemakers of your favorite wines how they produce their wine, they will be happy to explain everything to you.
We did some interviews with our winegrowers, if you're interested, here they are:
Beyond the Crus Classés and prestigious wines , there are many appellations in France that make us salivate. Here again, organic has a place to defend because many appellations are represented in organic and this in all our beautiful wine regions of France. For example, you can enjoy the freshness of a good organic Côtes de Provence by the pool, the frank attack of a glass of organic red Côtes du Rhône with a piece of beef, the finesse of a sip of organic Chablis with your cheese or even bring out a nice bottle of organic Champagne for the holidays! Yes, organic is everywhere because its virtues are recognized by all!
Treat yourself to our selection of organic wines . At Oé, we work all year round to produce hand in hand with our winegrowers the best organic wines from your favorite appellations, IGPs and AOPs that make everyone happy!
So, are you more white wines , red wines or rosé wines ?
