11/10/08 Email Questions

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Recently a listener wrote to ask, "Can you talk about organic grape growing on a worldwide basis?" Big topic but I will try. Although it is now becoming more and more important, in most non-European countries organic viticulture is still in an initial stage. Organic viticulture is hindered by the fact that in many countries incentives are provided to adopt integrated pest management. Such incentive schemes are generally promoted by the government, the chemical industry and conventional producer associations. As demand for wines is booming, market forces do not provide much incentive for growers to convert to organic production. It is initially rather expensive. Limited knowledge about organic viticulture may restrict its expansion. However, there is also growing concern about decreasing soil fertility in places such as Australia they are looking for more "sustainable" means of production. To combat insufficient expertise, various organizations for commercial organic wine growers were formed in countries such as New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. In Australia certifications are done by local organizations, allowing organic products into the European Union without further certification. In New Zealand inspections are carried out by European organizations on behalf of BioGrow, the New Zealand certifier. That's a little of what I know about organic viticulture around the world. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.