Archived press release

Britain's first organic wine guide launched

18 October 1999

Britain's first comprehensive guide to organic and biodynamic wine is launched today by Friends of the Earth.

“The Friends of the Earth Organic Wine Guide,” by leading wine critic Monty Waldin, is published by Thorsons, price £8.99. It gives a reliable guide to more than 2,000 organic wines, with a full list of UK stockists and a price guide. It defines the term “organic” and explains how to interpret wine labels. It covers all wine-producing regions, and includes profiles of over 400 organic wine producers.

Organic wine is wine made from grapes grown without the help of synthetic fertilisers,weed-killers or insecticides. All these damage the soil, and can end up in the wine as residue. Friends of the Earth has sharply criticised the conventional wine industry for its heavy use of pesticides and chemical additives, and its failure to inform consumers of what is in the wine they are drinking.

Key facts about the conventional wine industry include:

. wine labels do not have to tell you that the bottle probably contains at least one pesticide residue

. there are up to 240 chemical compounds from spray residues detectable in wine,but consumers would need a gas chromatograph (and possibly a degree in chemistry) to find them

. one tonne of synthetic chemicals is required to make just 8,000 bottles of Burgundy- including legendary prestige wines like those of Meursault and Nuits St Georges

. decades of chemical farming have left soils in some of the most famous French vineyards with less microbial life in them than the sand in the Sahara desert.

Monty Waldin comments:
“Winemakers are very good at telling us how many months the wine has spent in

oak and how great the vintage was, but they are more reticent when it comes to admitting what sprays are used on the vines and whether the residues end up in the wine”.

More French vineyards are converting to organic than ever before - but organic vineyards still total less than 1 per cent of French vineyards. The major concentrations of organic vineyards are in the south of France and northern California. Major food retailers stocking organic wine in the UK include Safeway, Sainsbury and Tesco. Other stockists include independent shipper Organic Wine Company, Vintage Roots and Vinceremos.

In the Guide's foreword, Evening Standard wine critic Andrew Jefford says:

“My own belief is that organic cultivation is the hard and difficult goal for which all those involved in agriculture should strive; in the long run, it is best for human health,best for human taste buds, and the only option for a future in which we cease to exploit and deplete our environmental patrimony. Wine producers, it is true, have been laggardly in addressing these issues, and why? Because drinkers, browbeaten by wine's complexities, do not demand a quality organic alternative in the same way that we are now doing for bread, for vegetables, for fruit and for meat.

I like to imagine a future in which all good wine will be organic. Use this book,support the world's most skilled organic and biodynamic wine growers, and it may happen.”

Friends of the Earth food campaigner Pete Riley adds:

“This Guide is a vital step to informing wine drinkers of what's wrong with the conventional ways in which wine is produced, why organic wine is a good alternative,and where you can buy it. Monty Waldin has done us all a favour, and made an important contribution to the campaign for Real Food.”

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust