Organic Wines Uncorked: Organic + Sparkling = A Perfect Match

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Organic + Sparkling = A Perfect Match

Are you planning on celebrating the holidays with some sparkling wines?

Consider making yours the greener ones...

Your choices could easily include organically grown bubbly! All below are traditional method (i.e. fermented on yeast, lees).

Traditional Grapes (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay)

--Organic

Chalone / Monterey County

• Under the Wire Brosseau Vineyard (and Flatiron SF) ($54)

Mendocino | Anderson Valley

• Handley Cellars 2019 Blanc de Blanc ($60)

• Long Meadow Ranch 2019 Blanc de Noirs ($85) and 2020 Brut Rosé ($125)

• Neal Family Vineyards sparkling wine 2021 One & Only Blanc de Blanc ($50)

Mendocino / Potter Valley

A TOP PICK • McFadden Vineyards Brut Rosé ($35) and Brut ($35) ***** My personal fave for price and quality

Napa

• Matthiasson's first Sparkling Wine (Linda Vista Chardonnay) ($85)

--Biodynamic

Oregon | Willamette Valley

• King Estate's 2019 Brut Cuvee ($40)

• Soter Vineyards 2021 Mineral Springs Brut Rosé ($80) and a full spectrum of sparkling wines

Oregon / Gorge

• Analemma 2018 Atavus Blanc de Noirs Sparkling ($76)

Other Sparkling Wines (Non Traditional Grapes)

California

• Amista Vineyards (Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County) 4+ wines: Chardonnay, Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah ($50+)

• Bokisch Vineyards (Lodi) Cava Inspired 2023 Lo Xalet Sparkling Wine ($60) (Spanish Indigenous Variety Grapes) and a 2024 Sparkling Albarino and a 2023 Sparkling Rosé

• Neal Family Vineyards (Napa) Spokes Sparkling Wine ($40) (Vermentino)

----

BONUS SECTION | Charmat Method Wines

• Cricket Farms Brut Sparkling Wine (Lake County) 3 wine: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Viognier

• Robert Hall (Paso Robles) Cavern Select 2022 Grenache Blanc ($45)

----

ANOTHER BONUS SECTION | Imported Organic Sparklings

• Avaline Sparkling (Raventos) $35 (not available at Target; only the Prosecco is at Target which is not traditional method) Order Online

Argentina

• Domaine Bousquet

Spain

• Any Cava Guard Superior from 2025 onward

• Raventos Blanc

• Vins el Cep (via Wine.com)

https://www.vilarnau.es/en/els-nostres-vilarnau/vilarnau-cavas/vilarnau-brut-reserva-rose-delicat-organic

TOP PICK • Vilarnau Brut Reserva Rose $18 at Total Wine

----

ACTUAL CHAMPAGNE PRODUCERS

I love the grower champagnes who are organic or biodynamic.

There is an association of all the organic and biodynamic grower champagne producers – find a list of them here. Or check out their instagram https://www.instagram.com/champagnesbiologiques/?hl=en

I am currently partial to Champagne de Sousa (biodynamic) which is available in the USA - $46-67 (3 wines) at Bottle Barn and at other retailers, and of course Champagne Fleury (also biodynamic). It is not easy to be organic in wet, damp Champagne but there are skilled producers who accomplish this task. Some say it's easier when you are biodynamic. Fleury also has a cool wine bar in Paris.

To keep up with organic and biodynamic developments in Champagne, have a look at Caroline Henry's awesome substack newsletter (and book).

----

LAST YEAR'S SPARKLING ROUNDUP Blog Post

No comments:

Wines We Cover

We publish information about wines grown from certified organic or Biodynamic vineyards that are generally made with sulfites (which are usually added in small amounts to preserve the wine).

That includes these certification types:

ORGANIC WINE CERTIFICATIONS

• Made with Organic Grapes

Vineyards: certified organic

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites (i.e. a normal range)

Winery: certified organic facility

Labeling: front or back label

• Ingredients: Organic Grapes

Vineyards: certified organic

Vinification: up to 350 ppm of sulfites (same as for any non organic wine)

Labeling: back label only

BIODYNAMIC® CERTIFICATIONS

• Biodynamic Wine

Vineyards: certified biodynamic

Yeasts: native

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites; no additives of any kind

Winery: certified biodynamic facility

Labeling: front or back label; Demeter logo may appear

• Made with Biodynamic Grapes

Vineyards: certified biodynamic

Yeasts: native or organic

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites; limited number of additives permitted

Winery: certified biodynamic facility

Labeling: front or back

Note: unlike organically grown wines, for which there is a category called "Ingredients: Organic Grapes," wines sourced from biodynamic grapes may not make any biodynamic claim on the bottle label. Bottle labeling is reserved for Demeter certified wines only.

SULFITES IN CONTEXT

According to U.C. Davis, the average among all wines in the U.S. (as well as globally) is 80 ppm.

WHAT THE USDA CALLS ORGANIC WINES

Unlike any other nation, the U.S. oddly imposes a no sulfite restriction on wines in order for them to be called Organic Wine. These wines are also called NSA or NAS wines (which stands for "No Sulfites Added" or "No Added Sulfites.")

From the above description, one can see that there are in fact three types of organically grown wines:

1. Organic Wine (less than 15% of all organically grown wine)

2. Made with Organic Grapes

3. Ingredients: Organic Grapes

The vast majority of wines from organic grapes are labeled Made with Organic Grapes, Ingredients: Organic Grapes or are blended with nonorganic grapes and unlabeled.

Fine winemakers do not generally make wine without sulfites and a number of large wine retailers like BevMo do not sell wine in the category of "USDA Organic Wine."

With rare exceptions, this blog does not cover what the USDA calls "Organic Wine."

We are hopeful that the USDA will revise the categorization of organically grown wines and make NSA or NAS wines a category of their own.

This would put the U.S. in accord with the rest of the world, where "Organic Wine" means a wine from certified grapes made within limits on sulfites (generally under 100-150 ppm).

Organic Wines Uncorked

Pages

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Organic + Sparkling = A Perfect Match

No comments:

Post a Comment

Organic Resources