For the consumer who wants to eat and drink organically farmed foods, finding organically grown wines can be difficult. Less than 3%of local vineyards are farmed organically. Sonoma County has some amazing farmers and winemakers who grow grapes organically and make world-class wines. Let’s support them and a healthy environment at the same time. The more consumers ask for organically grown wines, the more the market will be driven to give farmers incentive to switch from conventional to organic.
The wines on this list are farmed organically to the best of our knowledge.
What is the difference?
Certified Organic wines are made with organic grapes and have no added sulphur in the making of the wine. Label states “no sulfites added” and has a certification logo (CCOF, USDA Organic, Oregon Tilth, Demeter).
Certified Organic grapes guarantee the wine to be made with fruit from certified organic vineyards and then made into wine at the winemaker’s discretion. Fun fact: if you don’t add any sulphur to wine in the making, it will continue to ferment and the flavors are unstable which is a winemakers’ nightmare!
A certification logo (CCOF, USDA Organic, Oregon Tilth, Demeter) will be on the back label.
Certified Biodynamic wines are organic and regeneratively farmed and will have a Demeter certification logo on the back label.
Sustainably Farmed wines can be misleading.This certification allows the use of toxic insecticides, fungicides and herbicides without putting this on their labels.
How to read wine labels
The front label provides the brand name, grape varietal or blend name, the year picked, alcohol content, and location where the fruit is grown (appellation).
If the grapes are farmed organically, a stamped logo is located on the back label.Certification logos are: CCOF, Oregon Tilth, USDA Organic, or Demeter (biodynamic).
The List
The wineries on this list are farmed organically to the best of our knowledge. Wines below are available at the local wineries that grow and produce them or they are listed under some local stores in Sonoma County.
Organic Wines by Label
* Sonoma County producers
Bonterra
Beaver Creek
*Eco Torreno
Frey Vineyards / Agriculturist
*Horse and Plow
McEvoy Ranch
*Medlock Ames
Our Daily Red
Pacific Red
*Preston
*Porter Creek
*Quivira
*Radio Coteau
*Unti Vineyards
*Wild Hog (Nova Vineyard, Fort Ross – Seaview Vineyard, Eagle Point Vineyard are organic)
Local Organic Wineries
The following wineries make wine with organically grown grapes. Visit http://tiny.cc/vjt4tz for local purchasing and price information.
Benziger – Estate grown only are certified organic and biodynamic, other vineyards in the process of certification
DeLoach Vineyards – Estate grown only are certified organic
Eco Terreno Wines – Certified biodynamic
Front Porch Farm, Healdsburg
Horse and Plow, Sebastopol
Old World Winery – natural wines and cider, farmed organically and/or biodynamically, not certified
Porter Creek – Estate grown only are certified organic and biodynamic
Preston – Estate grown only are certified organic
Quivira – Estate grown only are certified organic
Radio-Coteau – Estate grown only are certified organic
Ridge Vineyards – Estate grown only are certified organic: Lytton Springs, Geyserville, Monte Bello
Russian River Vineyards – Estate grown only are certified organic
Truett-Hurst – Estate grown only are certified organic
Unti Vineyards – farmed organically, not certified
Wild Hog Vineyard – Vineyards certified organic: Nova, Fort Ross – Seaview, Eagle Point
Please note: some of these wineries also make wines purchased from other vineyards that may not be farmed organically. To be certain, make sure there is a certificate on the label or buy estate-grown wines which have “organically grown” on the labels.