Winemaking
Natural, organic, biodynamic: what each word means
Seven terms that are routinely treated as synonyms and are not. A wine can be any combination of them.
The short answer
Organic and biodynamic are certified categories with published standards. Natural is generally uncertified. Unfined, unfiltered and "no added sulfites" describe three specific and separable production decisions. None of these implies any of the others.
Overview
These terms circulate together so consistently that most drinkers assume they travel together. They do not, and the confusion has real consequences for what someone actually buys.
The quick test: certification tells you about the vineyard, the other terms tell you about the winery, and only one of them appears on a label by law.
Why it matters in the glass
A reader who wants to avoid animal-derived fining should look for "unfined" or a vegan mark, not for "natural". A reader who wants certified farming should look for an organic mark, not for "sustainable". The words are not interchangeable and buying as though they were leads to disappointment.
Step by step
1 Organic
Certified. Governs what may be applied in the vineyard and, under EU rules since 2012, winemaking too — including lower sulfur dioxide ceilings than conventional wine. It does not mean no spraying: copper and sulfur are permitted and widely used.
2 Biodynamic
Certified, by Demeter or Biodyvin. Requires organic practice and adds prepared field and compost treatments and a lunar and planetary calendar. The organic layer has an evidence base; the additional layers are not demonstrated.
3 Natural
Generally uncertified and undefined outside the French charter. Describes an approach rather than a standard.
4 Sustainable
The vaguest of all. Numerous schemes exist with different scopes — water, energy, carbon, biodiversity, packaging, labour — and self-declared use is common.
5 Unfined
No fining agent was used. A single specific decision about clarification. Frequently relevant to whether a wine is vegan.
6 Unfiltered
The wine was not filtered. A different specific decision, about a different operation.
7 No added sulfites
No sulfur dioxide was added. The wine still contains fermentation-derived sulfites, and above 10 mg/L must still declare them.
What people get wrong
3 widely repeated claims this page corrects.
Depends
“Natural wine is legally defined and has nothing added to it.”
In most jurisdictions "natural wine" has no legal definition at all. Certification schemes exist and vary, and the terms natural, organic, biodynamic, unfined and unfiltered are not synonyms.
Not true
“Natural wine has no sulfites in it.”
All wine contains some sulfites, because yeast produce them during fermentation. Natural wine usually means little or no sulfur dioxide was *added* — which is a different statement.
Not established
“Biodynamics works — the preparations and the lunar calendar are proven to improve the wine.”
Biodynamic vineyards often are well farmed, but trials that separate the specific biodynamic preparations and calendar from good organic practice have not demonstrated an effect attributable to them.
Sources
Sources consulted
- Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 — Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets — European Union
- Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité (INAO) — INAO, France
- The Oxford Companion to Wine — Oxford University Press
More in winemaking
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Fermentation
Yeast converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide — the step that makes wine wine.
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How red wine is made
Fermenting grape juice in contact with the skins, which is where colour and tannin come from.
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How white wine is made
Pressing the juice off the skins before fermentation, then fermenting the clear juice.