Wine with Leslie: Busting the myths about organic wine

Organic wine is better for the environment and often tastes better — but not always

'I am sorry to say that you are as likely to get a hangover from organic wine as conventional wine.'

This week I want to bust some myths about organic wine. I am sorry to say that you are as likely to get a hangover from organic wine as conventional wine, it depends on how much you drink. ‘Red wine headache’ is likely connected to flavanols found in grapes, whether organically farmed or not.

Yields are lower in organic vineyards by around 20% and costs are 20% higher so expect to pay more. Organic wine contains sulfites as do all wines; if you have a sensitivity you need to seek out wines labelled ‘no added sulfites’. Organic and conventional producers use sulphur at bottling as it keeps bacteria away, however many organic producers use less than you would find in a commercial supermarket wine.