JOIN USOrganic wine slowly finding takers
The Ule Ethnic Resort in Ladakh has been producing organic apple wine from the fruit of their apricot and apple orchards for the last few years.
"This wine is made with the local Saspola apple, unique to Pakistan, Kargil and the Sham area of Ladakh. This apple lends a distinct flavour to the wine. We also use less sugar and yeast in the winemaking process and add a hint of cinnamon and juniper,” says Phuntsok Wangchuk, owner of the resort.
The orchard has been entirely organic since it started in 1972, without chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Earlier, the owners used the fruit from the farm for jams, juices and oils for visitors to the resort, but during the initial Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, they used the excess fruit to make a batch of wine since there were no guests.
“Currently, our wine retails at Rs 1,500 in Ladakh. Scaling up production would make the product expensive since Saspola apples would need to be sourced from outside our orchards at a high price,” said Wangchuk.
The production of organic wine has seen a worldwide boom since 2019, with an annual growth of over 20 per cent and over 2,000 recognised winemakers today, as per a global survey by DataM Intelligence.
In India, the market is seeing increased interest due to a few small-scale wine manufacturers like Naara Aaba from Arunachal Pradesh and Hill Zill Wines from Maharashtra who use organic farming methods for their grapes or other fruit. However, it is yet to penetrate the market significantly, despite consumers—especially those under 35—being receptive to it.
"Wine drinkers have heard little, if at all, about organic wines because the category is yet to evolve,” said Minnie Menon, President—Terroir, The Madras Wine Club. “Liqueurs like the paan-flavoured variety from Sikkim may be known to a few, just as organic feni may have created some ripples in Goa. But to interest the palates of traditional wine lovers, organic wine growers and bottlers have a huge task ahead of them."
The legal definition of "organic" in the context of wines may differ from country to country. In the EU, it is enough to just ensure the grapes are produced organically, for it to be labelled “organic wine.” Even if sulfates—non-organic in nature—are added during the winemaking process, this holds good. In the US, however, if sulfates are added, wines will have to carry the label “made with organic grapes,” instead of “organic wine.”
"We don't have widespread knowledge of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms), and even less awareness about ‘organic’ wine and organic certification," said sommelier Magandeep Singh. "When it comes to wine, grape-growing is the organic bit. Winemaking always involves some chemicals. The intervention-free wines, which don’t use any sulfates or chemicals at all, come under a different nomenclature than traditional wines, and are a less exact science."
Singh believes organic cultivation will become a way of life as the wine industry tries to be more sustainable and looks for longevity, but concurs that cost, awareness, and raw material availability could be problem areas.
"Wine production companies realise that they need to preserve the land the grapes grow on. Most non-bulk-produced wines are usually grown sustainably in any case," said Singh.
(Neeti Jaychander is a journalist, writer and teacher based in Chennai, India)