OPINION: Richard Esling On the Grapevine : Good for the Earth - Great in the Glass

There was a time, not so very long ago, when the words ‘organic wine’ could send even the most adventurous wine drinker running towards the nearest conventional bottle. Thirty or forty years ago, organic wines often carried an unfortunate reputation. Some were worthy and well-intentioned but lacked fruit, depth and stability. The technology was less sophisticated, vineyard knowledge more limited, and too often the result was a wine bought for its principles rather than its pleasure. How dramatically that has changed.

Today, some of Europe's most exciting wines are made from organically farmed vineyards. Organic production matters because wine begins, quite literally, in the soil. By avoiding synthetic herbicides and pesticides, encouraging biodiversity and treating the vineyard as a living ecosystem rather than a factory floor, growers can help preserve healthier soils and more resilient vines. The aim is not simply to put a green badge on the label, but to produce grapes with balance, character and a clearer expression of where they were grown.

Modern organic viticulture has also benefited from vastly improved understanding. Growers can monitor vineyards with far greater precision, react intelligently to disease pressure and use better winemaking techniques to ensure that the purity of the fruit reaches the bottle. Organic no longer means accepting compromise. Indeed, in the right hands, it can mean exactly the opposite.

Take Portugal's Esporão Reserva 2023 Red, from the warm, wide-open landscapes of the Alentejo. The estate's vineyards at Herdade do Esporão are certified organic, and the Reserva Red was first certified organic with the 2019 vintage. This wine is a richly flavoured, beautifully polished blend, combining depth of fruit with spice, freshness and fine structure. The current 2023 bottling is matured for 12 months in French and American oak yet retains a vibrant freshness of fruit and balance. This is organic wine with no need whatsoever to apologise for its quality. Around £20 per bottle from online and independent merchants.

Across the Pyrenees in France's wild Roussillon, the story is equally compelling. Domaine de Bila-Haut Occultum Lapidem from the marvellous M. Chapoutier comes from the dramatic, stony country around Latour-de-France (nothing to do with bicycles!) where terraces, rocky soils and the fierce Tramontane wind shape both landscape and vine. The wine is certified organic and has the intensity one might expect from this sun-baked southern terrain, with dark fruit flavours, herbs, spice and a mineral backbone that gives the richness added definition. It is a powerful wine, but not a heavy one, a fine example of how organic farming and careful winemaking can work in harmony with a distinctive terroir. Around £21 from a range of independent merchants.

Rioja, too, offers ample evidence of this new confidence. Bhilar white Rioja is an excellent example of the freshness, texture and individuality now being achieved by organically grown grapes. Fresh, zesty, aromatic, with a creamy texture and slight tropical fruit finish. Around £18-£20 from independents.  Ontañón Viura demonstrates that environmental responsibility is not confined solely to certified organic producers. Although not certified organic, Ontañón is part of the Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection initiative. Its varietal Viura, drawn from carefully selected sites across Rioja, combines floral and stone-fruit character with citrus freshness and the subtle texture gained from work with fine lees and restrained oak. £14.50 from Hennings Wine Merchants.

Perhaps the most important lesson from the organic wine revolution, is that the argument is no longer about choosing between idealism and enjoyment. The best organic wines are now simply excellent wines, made with greater respect for the land that gives them life. After 30 or 40 years of progress, that is surely something to which it is worth raising a glass.