Organic white wine: wine in its finest expression

The return to consumption closer to nature

For the past few years, we have been witnessing a massive shift in the population towards more mindful, more environmentally respectful consumption: consume yes, but consume better. It is in this same spirit that organic wines, as well as biodynamic wines, have taken an increasingly important place in the hearts of lovers of good white wine.

In France, as with all other organic products, it is the AB label that clearly identifies an organic white wine.

A wine certified AB is therefore a wine produced from organic farming, adhering to a strict set of specifications. Winegrowers are subject to various inspections to ensure proper compliance with the rules. Whether white, red, rosé or even orange, an organic wine is therefore necessarily produced from vines that are themselves AB certified. Inputs are strictly limited, while chemical fertilisers and synthetic pesticides are entirely absent.

Buying an organic wine therefore gives you the certainty of being in the presence of committed winegrowers, who are committed to respecting nature and the environment, but who also have the objective of rediscovering the true taste of wine. Indeed, by showing greater respect for the plant (the grape) and the nature (the flora and fauna) surrounding it, you obtain a wine with more character, more balance, one that communicates its terroir and origins, without artifice. 

This is notably the case of the Grand Vin blanc from Château l'Hospitalet, an exceptional organic wine from a unique terroir, situated on calcareous soil, a few hundred metres from the Mediterranean Sea, delivering mineral and saline flavours of great finesse.

An organic (or biodynamic) wine encompasses notions of ideology and awareness of the world around us, as well as notions of simplicity, for a return to a life closer to nature. Tasting an organic wine is all of this at once!

Discover the collection of organic white wines from the Gérard Bertrand estates.

Organic white wine: with or without added sulphites?

Here is a question regularly asked by novice wine lovers: is an organic wine necessarily without added sulphites? The answer is: no, not all the time!

Sulphites, which are simply sulphur dioxide, are present naturally in wine, in small quantities. However, an additional addition of sulphites during the winemaking phase makes the wine more resistant, preventing it from being degraded by oxygen, and also prevents it from turning into vinegar!

An organic wine therefore inevitably contains sulphites, in small quantities. The winemaker then decides whether to vinify it with or without additional sulphites. Nevertheless, in all cases, a white wine with the AB organic label and with added sulphites will contain approximately half as many sulphites as a traditional white wine. There are of course organic white wines without added sulphites, such as the cuvée Prima Nature, an organic white wine that also holds the Vegan label, offering one of the purest tasting experiences.

The taste of organic!

Opening a bottle of organic wine, whether white, red or rosé, brings an extra dose of pleasure. Indeed, tasting the best organic white wines offers clean, fresh and straightforward flavours. The absence of a tannic structure in a white wine allows, unlike a red wine, for an extra lightness. Just like rosé, organic white wine is thus easy to drink, and will be an excellent choice to accompany an aperitif, to start a meal with a salad, but also to complement a delicate dish.

The aromas and flavours of an organic wine are most often associated with the plant world, whether floral aromas (anise, bay laurel, hawthorn, violet, vanilla, etc.), or fruit flavours (white-fleshed fruits, citrus fruits, exotic fruits, etc.). Organic white wines also offer a generous dose of indulgence. Tasting the best white wines is very often associated, to our great delight, with pleasurable dishes — we speak of candied, toasted, grilled or brioche-like flavours…

A great example of a surprisingly high-quality and intense organic white wine is the bottle Aigle Royal from Domaine de l'Aigle, a Languedoc-Roussillon wine (AOP Limoux) certified AB and Demeter, produced from a noble grape variety, Chardonnay, grown on a vineyard plot situated at 500 metres above sea level.

Discover the organic wine collections from Gérard Bertrand.

Go further in discovering wine:

And find out everything about organic red wine and organic rosé wine.Learn more about white wine, orange wine, red wine or rosé wine.

Discover also the best Gérard Bertrand wines:

• Best red wine
• Best white wine
• Best rosé wine
• Best orange wine

Learn more about the Gérard Bertrand estates:

• His wine estates in the south of France
• His expertise in crafting biodynamic wines
• His family history.