Italy

Organic Wine in Italy

As elsewhere in Europe, according to current Italian law “vino biologico” or organic wine does not exist. In fact it is only possible to talk about wine produced with grapes from organic farming. To make it simpler: the regulations in force concern the work in the vineyard and not that in the cellar.

When we talk about Italian organic wine we mean wine made from grapes that have been grown organically. The grapes have been grown without any support from synthetic chemicals: fertilisers, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides or pesticides in general and without the use of genetically-modified organisms (GMO). Organic wine in Italy needs to be certified by one of the 15 or so authorised quality control bodies, not all of them work to the same standards.

One of the pioneers of organic wines in Italy is the Pizzolato family who started growing organic grapes in 1985. As a family the Pizzolatos have been working in agriculture for five generations. They have 58 hectares under cultivation and neighbouring growers a further 48 hectares north of Treviso. While they produce organic wines they are also proud of their completely up to date winemaking and bottling facilities. We are pleased to offer a selection of about 9 of the Pizzolato Wines as well as others from Chianti and other parts of Italy.

All our Italian wines are classified as organic or bio-dynamic wines.

Bio-Dynamic Wine in Italy.Look for Demeter logo to indicate a bio-dynamic wine

There are few bio-dynamic wines from Italy, with just 20 wineries certified by Demeter (an international organisation for the certification of bio-dynamic agriculture). Our favoured producer, Cascina del Melo La Raia and its grapes have been certified by Demeter since 2007; they are also certified as organic by Ecocert and BIOSUISSE, the Swiss association of organizations for organic agriculture. Cascina del Melo  really do cherish their land and care for it with passion, dedication and hard work.

Low Sulphur Wine in Italy.

Sulphites are preservatives added to stop wine oxidising. Many people react badly to sulphites, especially asthmatics, but restrictions on how much can be added are complicated because sulphites are a natural product of making wine. Italy has a number of low sulphur wines including a couple of great value Proseccos from the Pizzolato family.

Vegetarian Wine in Italy.

Almost all our organic wines from Italy are classified as vegetarian wines.

Vegan Wine in Italy.

Over 80% of our Italian wines are free of all animal products and are suitable for vegans.

Italian Organic Wine – Our Producers

Italian Organic Wines, our producers: Cascina del Melo (La Raia); La Jara and Pizzolato have their separate pages. More Italian wines are available through our wine shop.