Organic Wine: If it isn’t 100% Organic, then it’s … Organic?
The standards for growing and selling organic foods are determined and regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). I will delve into these standards and the issues surrounding them in my next post. For now, we must understand the technical framework for the four different classifications using the Organic title on alcohol beverage containers.
100% Organic. Organic. Made with Organic Grapes. Made with Organic Ingredients.
The skeptic in me immediately cringes. Apparently, we need to differentiate between “100% Organic” and “Organic.” Shouldn’t the latter be the former? If you did not know that “100% Organic” existed, wouldn’t you assume that “Organic” meant what it says? But no – living in a culture where “new and improved!” pretty much means same as before but with a new label – “Organic” is only so when it is 100% (Now! More Organic than before!). But no matter, that is neither here nor there. “100% Organic” is at the top of the “O” tOtem pole, and “Made with Organic Ingredients” is at the bottom.
