If the American Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program is to be believed, it seems that organic wine making is a fallacy.
And this is why you aren't going to find too many bottles of wine (if any) that state that the wine is 100% organic.
Even if grapes are grown in a strictly controlled environment, without the use of any chemicals for fertilization or pest control, the Government specification for organic wine relates to the addition of sulfites when the wine is made.
At best, a wine made with organically grown, healthy grapes becomes a wine that was "made with organic grapes".
And if more than 100 parts per million (ppm) of sulfites is added, then it can't even carry the "made with organic grapes" claim on the label.
Any type of wine, beer or spirit (as in alcohol) that has more than 10 ppm of sulfite content has to have the words "contains sulfites" on the label.
If wine contains less than 10 ppm sulfites, producers are allowed to add "free of added sulfites" to the label if they wish.
The sulfur content of wine that isn't made or grown organically This is the scary part.
Wine made in the US can legally contain as much as 350 ppm of sulfite content.
Most organic wine farmers prefer to limit the sulfur content of their wine to no more than 40 ppm.
Generally red wine contains less sulfites than white wines and any sparkling wines.
Why sulfites are a problem Anybody who is allergic to sulfur will know how awful it is to drink wine with high sulfite content.
Reactions range from coughing fits to swollen eyes, sneezing, skin flushes and even hives and cramps.
Sometime symptoms are severe, and in some cases can result in hospitalization.
But at the same time studies show than less than half a percent of the American population is considered to be highly allergic to sulfites.