If you have ever stood in a bottle shop staring at a label that says "organic" and wondered whether it actually means anything, you are not alone.

The word gets used everywhere. On wine, on food, on skincare. And like most things that get used everywhere, it has started to lose its meaning.

So let me explain what organic wine actually is, what it is not, and why at Alessa Vino it is the only standard we work to.

What Does Organic Wine Actually Mean?

Organic wine starts in the vineyard, not the winery. It means the grapes were grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilisers. The soil is farmed naturally. The ecosystem around the vines, insects, microbes, plants, is allowed to exist and do its job.

In Australia, certified organic wine carries accreditation from bodies like Australian Certified Organic or NASAA. In France and Italy, the EU Organic logo means the same thing, no synthetic chemicals in the vineyard, and strict limits on what can be added in the winery.

What organic does not mean is flavourless, cloudy or worthy. That is a myth. The best organic wines I have tasted and I have tasted a few are more alive, more complex and more interesting than their conventional counterparts.

What is Biodynamic Wine and Is It Different?

Biodynamic wine takes organic farming one step further. It treats the vineyard as a complete living ecosystem, soil, plants, animals, atmosphere and farms according to a lunar calendar. Planting, pruning and harvesting all happen at specific times based on the position of the moon.

It sounds unusual. The results are extraordinary.

Some of the world's most celebrated estates, Domaine Leroy in Burgundy, Chapoutier in the Rhône farm biodynamically. The wines have a depth and energy that is difficult to explain until you have tasted them side by side with a conventional wine from the same appellation.

At Alessa Vino we stock both certified organic and biodynamic producers. Both meet our standard.

What is Natural Wine and Where Does It Fit?

Natural wine is the least regulated of the three. There is no official certification. In general it means minimal intervention, organic or biodynamic grapes, fermented with wild yeasts, nothing added and nothing taken away in the winery. No fining agents, no commercial yeasts, little or no added sulphites.

Natural wine can be extraordinary. It can also be unstable, funky or flawed if the producer does not know what they are doing.

This is why curation matters. Anyone can put "natural wine" on a label. Not everyone can back it up in the glass.

Every wine at Alessa Vino, organic, biodynamic or natural  has been personally tasted by me before it earns a place on our site. The same standard I hold for our Carne & Cucina restaurant wine list. If I would not pour it at the table, it does not come near this site.

Why Does It Matter What Is in Your Wine?

Conventional wine can legally contain over 70 additives. Colour enhancers, flavour concentrates, commercial yeasts engineered to produce specific taste profiles, sulphites at levels far beyond what is necessary for preservation.

You would never accept that in your food. Why accept it in your wine?

Organic and biodynamic farming produces grapes with stronger natural defences, more complex flavour profiles and a genuine expression of where they came from  what the French call terroir. The place in the glass.

That is what we are looking for. That is what we sell.

Where to Start Alex's Organic Wine Picks

If you are new to organic wine and want somewhere to start, here are three bottles that will change how you think about what is in your glass.

For a red: the Chateau Mont Redon Côtes du Rhône one of the southern Rhône's most respected organic estates. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre grown on the famous galets roulés. Rich, warm, generous. The kind of bottle that makes a table go quiet. Mont Redon

For a white: the Tenuta Mazzolino Camarà Pavia Chardonnay. Grown with a strong commitment to organic farming, Camara Chardonnay reveals great depth and texture. Tenuta mazzolino camara

For something special: the Le Clos du Caillou Bouquet des Garrigues named after the wild herbs growing between the vines. Lavender, thyme, rosemary in the glass. Guests at Carne & Cucina ask about this one more than any other bottle on our list. Le Clos du Caillou

Browse our full organic wine collection at Alessa Vino, every bottle personally selected, every producer vetted. Full Collection 

The Alessa Vino Standard

I grew up in the Rhône Valley. Wine was not a hobby or a status symbol, it was on the table every night, made by people who knew their soil by name.

When I opened Carne & Cucina on the Central Coast, I built a wine list around the same standard. Organic. Small-batch. Made by producers who care what ends up in the bottle.

Alessa Vino exists because those wines were almost impossible to find in Australia. I brought them here.

Every bottle on this site has passed through our restaurant wine list first. If it does not earn a place at Carne & Cucina, it does not earn a place here.

That is the standard. That is organic wine done properly.

Delivery: Free Central Coast delivery on orders over $150. Free Australia-wide shipping on orders over $150. Same day dispatch on orders placed before 12pm AEST.