Organic Wine: What to Know Before You Buy

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There is a lot of contradictory info about wine and whether it is good for our health. It depends on numerous factors, and some wines are healthy, while others are not.
Disclaimer: This article is general information, not medical or nutrition advice.
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Good to know
  • Most adults should keep caffeine under about 400 mg a day; pregnant people should ask their doctor.[1]
  • If you drink alcohol, dietary guidelines advise limiting it.[2]

Organic Vs Ordinary Wine: What’s the Difference?

There are vast differences between organic and inorganic wines. Organic wines tend to be produced on smaller scales and not contain harmful pesticides like regular wine. On a larger scale, inorganic operations, the winemakers tend to use tricks to produce a standard quality and enhance the flavor and texture of the wine. This usually includes adding chemicals and additional fermentation substances such as diacetyl. These practices destroy the natural balance of nutrients in the grapes and are bad for our health. Above the chemicals that inorganic grapes are subject to, it is cheaper for wineries to store wine in giant aluminum tanks.
Even among organic wines, some grape varieties retain more nutrients than others and impart more healthful properties when drunk.
  • Muscadine Grapes – These grapes have been revered in the last health science research as being the best grape cultivar from a health perspective. This wonder nutrient is also the ingredient that gives red wine its reputation for improving cardiac health.
  • Pinot Noir – This wine is usually one of the most expensive of all the wine varieties you can buy, but there are a good few reasons as to why! How Pinot Noir is made takes longer than other wines, allowing the skins to steep in the fermentation process for longer. This draws out the maximum capacity of tannins from the grape skins, where the bulk of the nutrition in grapes is concentrated. Pinot Noir has the highest amounts of healthful compounds when compared to other types of red wines. White wines have the least because the skins are tossed aside very early on in the winemaking process.
  • Grown At An Altitude – Grapes grown at a higher altitude produce even more compounds that are protective of our health. At higher altitudes, the sun’s rays are harsher.

    Features That Make An Organic Wine A Step Above the Rest

    Aside from grape cultivars, other features can enhance the health benefits of your organic wine even more!
      Opt for wine that has been preserved with cork as opposed to metal screw caps.
    1. Glass – glass bottles beat plastic or metal bottles every single time because glass is inherently neutral.
    2. Oak Fermentation – Oak and other wooden barrels are the best way to store and ferment large batches of wine. Some winemakers add wooden chips to their wine, expecting this to improve the quality. Still, one must be careful, as added wood chips are usually offcuts and sawdust from big industrial complexes. Old-fashioned oak-barreled wine without adding wooden chips is likely the best.
    3. Maturity – The older a wine is, the better it is for us!
    Aside from organic wine, having organic dairy milk is also essential, especially for toddlers. Click the link to know why!

    What the Research Says

    Dietary guidelines recommend a healthy eating pattern built on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy oils, with limits on added sugar, sodium and saturated fat.[2] Organic certification covers how food is grown and processed, not its nutrition.[3]

    Sources

    1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?. Accessed October 16, 2026.
    2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. Accessed October 16, 2026.
    3. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. Organic Labeling Standards. Accessed October 16, 2026.

    Update History

    • Oct 2026: Guide reviewed and updated; added Sources (FDA, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, USDA AMS)
    • May 2017: First published

    • About the Author

    Pavneet Lobana

    Pavneet Lobana is a content writer. She writes Organic Aspirations' guides to organic skin, hair and personal care, drinks, and home and garden products. She researches ingredients, certifications and manufacturer specifications and explains the trade-offs in plain language, citing her sources. She does not test products hands-on. How we research products.