The Meaning Behind the Symbol

Organic Wine Exchange Color Coded Symbols

  = No Sulfites Added   = 10-100ppm sulfites   = 100+ sulfites

Have you ever wondered why it is so hard to find an organic wine that is right for you. Maybe you have a real sulfite allergy, or maybe you cannot find those magical key word designated by the USDA, “Made with Organic Grapes”, because the the font is too small. Well, we’ve got you covered!   Now each category below has it’s own color coded USDA symbol.

Note :  The definitions of each category below is recognized by the USDA, however the choice to color code the USDA symbols based on these organic designations are not.  OrganicWineExchange.com is using the color coding tool to help easily classify wines into their proper designations.

 

 

“Organic Wine”:

  1. Grapes have been grown in accordance with the organic standards established by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP).
  2. Wine has been produced and bottled in a certified organic facility.
  3. Wine contains No Added Sulfites (NSA).
  4. As of now these are the the only wines that may display the USDA ORGANIC logo seen on this page.

 

 

“Made with Organic Grapes”:

  1. Grapes have been grown in accordance with the organic standards established by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP).
  2. Wine contains all organic grapes.
  3. Wine has been produced and bottled in a certified organic facility.
  4. May contain added sulfites up to 100ppm.
  5. They are called “Organic Wine” in all countries outside the United States.
  6. These wines DO NOT display the USDA ORGANIC logo, however they MAY display the Certifier’s Logo of the state or country in which is was produced (examples below).

                 

 

 

Organic Ingredients Statement Only:

  1. Wine contains certified organic grapes.
  2. May put “Ingredients: Organic Grapes” on the back label.
  3. These wines have more than 100ppm Sulfites.
  4. These wines DO NOT display the USDA ORGANIC logo, nor the certifier’s logo.

 

 

“Made with Biodynamic Grapes”

    1. Created by Rudulf Steiner in 1924
    2. Biodynamic Farming treats the farm as one living organism.
    3. It follows nine biodynamic preparations in wine production.
    4. Incorporates early agricultural practices such as: basing the planting calendar on the movement of the stars and the moon and uses traditional pest control measures free from pesticides.
    5. Demeter  is the certifying agency.
    6. Stellar Organic certification is automatically given to wines certified Biodynamic by Demeter due to their strict farming methods.
    7. Biodynamic wines can also choose to get certified by the USDA and have the “Made with Organic Grapes” term added their label, or if processed with No Added Sulfites they can get the USDA Organic symbol.