The Complete Guide to Organic, Biodynamic and Natural Wine

Few topics generate more confusion — and more passion — in the wine world than organic, biodynamic, and natural wine. At Blanco & Gomez on the King's Road, Chelsea, these wines are close to our hearts: we've specialised in small growers and quality-driven producers from the very beginning, and many of the bottles we're most excited about fall into one or more of these categories.

But what do these terms actually mean? And how do they differ from one another?

Organic wine

Organic viticulture means farming the vineyard without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilisers. The vines are managed using natural treatments — copper and sulphur sprays, cover crops, and composting — to maintain soil health and vine balance. Organic farming is certified by recognised bodies: in Europe, look for EU Organic certification (the green leaf logo) or, in France, AB (Agriculture Biologique).

Importantly, organic certification applies to the vineyard only — a wine can be made from organically farmed grapes but still have significant sulphur added in the cellar. In the EU, "wine made from organic grapes" and "organic wine" are distinct categories, with the latter having stricter limits on sulphur dioxide additions.

The benefits of organic viticulture are increasingly well-documented: healthier soils, greater biodiversity, and — according to many winemakers and researchers — more complex, terroir-expressive wines. Organic farming is also better for the environment, reducing chemical runoff and preserving beneficial insects and microorganisms in the vineyard ecosystem.

Biodynamic wine

Biodynamic viticulture goes significantly further than organic farming. It treats the vineyard as a self-sustaining living system — a closed-loop ecosystem in which the vine, the soil, the surrounding flora and fauna, and even the positions of celestial bodies are all interconnected.

Developed in the 1920s by the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, biodynamic farming uses a calendar of lunar and cosmic rhythms to guide vineyard and cellar work: root days (ideal for pruning), flower days (best for tasting), fruit days (harvesting), and leaf days (to be avoided for important work). Natural preparations — fermented plant material and composted manure — are applied to the soil in minute quantities to stimulate biological activity.

Biodynamic farming is certified by organisations including Demeter (the most rigorous international certification) and Biodyvin (France-specific, focusing exclusively on winegrowers). Among the world's greatest wine producers, biodynamic farming has become increasingly mainstream: Domaine Leroy and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy, Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace, Chapoutier in the Rhône, and Nicolas Joly in the Loire are all committed biodynamic producers.

Does biodynamic farming produce better wine? The honest answer is that the evidence is compelling but not conclusive. What is clear is that biodynamic vineyards tend to have exceptional soil health and that many of the world's most singular and expressive wines come from biodynamically farmed estates.

Natural wine

Natural wine is the most loosely defined and most contested of the three terms. There is no official legal definition or certification body for natural wine — anyone can call their wine "natural." In practice, however, natural winemakers broadly share the following approach: organic or biodynamic farming in the vineyard; hand harvesting; fermentation with indigenous (wild) yeasts rather than commercial yeasts; minimal or no sulphur dioxide added at any stage; no fining or filtration; and no additions of acid, sugar, tannin, or other winemaking aids.

The result is wines that are often strikingly individual, sometimes cloudy (unfined, unfiltered), and occasionally unpredictable. At their best, natural wines have a vibrancy, freshness, and authenticity that conventional wines can rarely match. At their worst — in the hands of careless producers — they can be faulty, volatile, or simply unpleasant.

Natural wine has its own community of advocates, critics, importers, and events — the Paris natural wine fair RAW and London's Raw Wine fair are among the most celebrated — and organisations like La Renaissance des Appellations provide a framework for identifying committed producers.

Which should you choose?

The short answer: all three categories can produce exceptional wine. Organic certification is a meaningful baseline guarantee of vineyard practice. Biodynamic certification adds greater rigour and a more holistic philosophy. Natural wine is the most radical expression of minimal intervention — exciting, sometimes unpredictable, and always individual.

At Blanco & Gomez, we stock wines across all three categories — chosen not because of their labels but because of what's in the glass. If you'd like guidance on specific organic, biodynamic, or natural producers, visit us at 410 King's Road, Chelsea, or browse our collection at bgwm.co.uk.