At a time when vineyards are being mothballed or ripped out, there’s one type that’s expanding — the organic vineyard. According to the OIV’s most recent statistics, the world’s certified organic surface area increased by an average of 13% per year from 2005 to 2019.
There are good reasons for wineries to focus on organic and other forms of certified sustainable viticulture, from the pressure from major buyers like Systembolaget, to a deep concern about the environment.
But what do consumers themselves think about organic wines?
In the US market
Christian Miller, research director for the Wine Market Council, says Americans who are interested in ‘green’ products typically share very specific characteristics.
“They’re more likely to be younger than older. They’re more likely to live in certain areas than others. They tend to have higher educational backgrounds,” he says. “But what’s really interesting is that there are two main driving reasons for them to look for organic or other green products: one is the concern over the environment and the other is their own health.”
His conclusion was that things that people put into their mouths will trigger wellness concerns, while “the further from that, the more environmental concern dominates”. So an apple will be seen in terms of its health implications, while a cleaning product triggers environmental concerns. Wine, because it’s processed and not consumed as regularly as food, sits somewhere in the middle, though Miller says there is an overlap between “what you might call green-concerned consumers and wine consumers”.
While there are some people may not buy a wine at all if they can’t find one that’s certified organic, “That’s a very small number. I’m pretty sure it’s not in double digits,” he says.
But if people are considering two wines of equal attractiveness—the same variety and the same price—then “people will use sustainable or certified sustainable as a tie-breaker.”
Miller adds that as interest in wellness rises in the US, there “is a big opportunity for organic grapes and organic wines. It fits into the whole gestalt of reduced additives and sugar. So it could be a great opportunity”.
The German research
Germany is the biggest market for organic food in Europe, while Demeter—the biodynamic certification—is regularly voted among the top three most trusted brands. A team at Hochschule Geisenheim decided to find out if this embrace of organic food translated into a desire for organic wines, and launched a representative survey.
The study began in 2009, was done again in 2016, and then again in 2020.
Prof Gergely Szolnoki said they discovered that highly involved wine consumers are more likely to choose organic wines. They also tend to have more disposable income.
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