With Sonoma County around 2% organic and biodynamic certified, Napa not much better, why are vintners resisting the world trends?
“Brian Lamb, Sales Director at Paxton Wines, also points out that today’s customers are smarter and more educated than ever before, with a social and environmentally conscious mindset. He states, “Consumers want to live healthier, consume and use natural products that don’t harm the environment. Paxton Wines takes a lot of pride in being part of the solution and we are very sincere about our organic-biodynamic ways.”
The Rise of Organic Wine
Leader in organic wine, David Paxton, explains its growing popularity and the benefits of drinking organic wine
The demand for organic wines is continuing to grow, so we asked David Paxton, Owner, and Brian Lamb, Sales Director, of Paxton Wines in McLaren Vale, why wine drinkers in Australia are choosing organic alternatives. As a leader in organic and biodynamic viticulture and winemaking, Paxton Wines seek to maintain the wholesome identify of the grapes, which is reflected in their motto ‘Wines With Life’.
The first thing David is keen to point out is that organic wine is nothing new. In fact, prior to 1847, all wine would have been organic because farming chemicals weren’t available then. He explains, “Some of the greatest wine brands in the world are and have been organic and biodynamic for centuries, like Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, the greatest Burgundy house. These great European houses never succumbed to the introduction of chemicals in the early 1900s because they knew better.”
How organic wine is produced
David had been farming grapes for over 20 years when he started to research the benefits of organic grape production. It was becoming apparent to him that the soil in his vineyards was dying. As soil health is core to farming he wanted to find another way to farm. Paxton Wines turned to the principles of biodynamics, which is the most advanced form of organic farming. As well as removing any chemicals in the farming process, biodynamics involves creating their own composts and preparations.
“The future of wine is from the past. Producing organic-biodynamic wines is a return to old-fashioned farming methods, when a farm was its own micro-environment.” – David Paxton, Owner, Paxton Organic-Biodynamic Wines
The benefits of drinking organic wine
The first thing many wine drinkers comment on after taking a sip of organic wine is its clarity and purity of flavour. David agrees with this, saying, “Organic-biodynamic farming allows us to capture the natural beauty of the grapes, which you can taste in the clear and direct flavours of the wine.”
Brian Lamb, Sales Director at Paxton Wines, also points out that today’s customers are smarter and more educated than ever before, with a social and environmentally conscious mindset. He states, “Consumers want to live healthier, consume and use natural products that don’t harm the environment. Paxton Wines takes a lot of pride in being part of the solution and we are very sincere about our organic-biodynamic ways.”
How to know a wine is organic
To sell Certified Organic Wine in Australia a winery must be certified. There are a number of different certification bodies including Australian Certified Organic, NASAA Organic, Certified BioGro Organic – look for the logo on the bottle to confirm the wine is Certified Organic.
How to identify a good organic wine
Organic wine didn’t always have a good reputation in Australia. David explains that twenty years ago many organic wines were made with sub-par grapes, but this is now no longer the case and the industry has changed massively since then.
“A good organic wine will be true to itself and the terroir. Because the grapes are all natural and not exposed to foreign chemicals, we say that you can taste the DNA of our fruit.” – David Paxton, Owner, Paxton Wines
The future of organic wine in Australia
Already Australia has developed an international reputation for organic, natural, clean and green farming and living, which is reflected in the quality of our organic wines. David Paxton sees this continuing to grow in the future, not just for Australian wine but for all of Australia’s farming products. “The younger generations are convinced already and the Millennials are likely to make organic wine the norm in the future. Who knows? One day chemically made wines may need to be labelled “made with chemicals”, and not the other way around.”
About Paxton Wines
Paxton Wines are leaders in both organic and biodynamic viticulture and winemaking. Established in 1979, Paxton Wines is a family owned wine company who have nurtured their own vineyards in McLaren Vale for three decades. Founder and owner, David Paxton is one of Australia’s most highly respected viticulturists and the fruit for all their wines are sourced solely from their estate vineyards in McLaren Vale, South Australia.
Interested in hearing more about Organic Wine?
We’ll be introducing an Organic Wine Reservation in the coming months, which will guarantee you automatic deliveries of our best organic wines. If you’d like to hear more about this Reservation closer to the launch date, simply register your interest here.