Two big buzzwords in wine are ‘organic’ and ‘biodynamic’. The fanbase of these wines grows as we reduce our chemical intake from food and drink.

It can be tricky to know the exact difference between organic and biodynamic wines, though, because they share some characteristics so are often lumped together. None of which is helped by the French translation of organic being ‘bio’.

Getting to know what organic and biodynamic actually mean is good way to know what you’re drinking.

So let’s start by saying that being organic is the default starting position for making biodynamic wine. In other words, all biodynamic wines are organic.

Organic wines are made from organically farmed grapes that haven’t been in contact with artificial chemical fertilisers, pesticides, fungicides or herbicides. Even though the ultimate goal is to improve soil and vine health, the definition varies around the world with some countries being more strict than others.

The US, for example, doesn’t allow the addition of sulphur dioxide, whereas in Europe, it’s allowed.

As for biodynamics, this is a more holistic approach. The farm is treated as one big self-sustaining ecosystem, and homemade compost for the vines is enriched with herbal preparations.

The principles of biodynamics was created by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, and it follows an astronomical calendar to help assess the perfect time and day to perform tasks such as sowing and pruning in the vineyard. The calendar lists four days and they’re known as ‘root’, ‘leaf’, ‘flower’ and ‘fruit’.

Organic and biodynamic wine can be certified but don’t have to be. If they’re officially recognised as fulfilling the right criteria, they can add a logo to the bottle.

However, many choose not to get certified, which means there are way more organic and biodynamic wines out there than we think.

Parkinson, Jane (2023).  The difference between organic and biodynamic wine explained.  Sourced from tinyurl.com/2z9cstj3