Organic or not

Within the European Union, 'organic' is a legally regulated and protected designation for wine. The word is not exclusively protected in every general linguistic context, but its use as a product claim, in advertising or in commercial documents is reserved for wine produced and certified in accordance with the European rules on organic production.

Legal basis and scope

The principal legal basis is Regulation (EU) 2018/848. Article 30 stipulates that terms referring to organic production — including 'organic' in English and comparable terms in other languages, such as 'biologisch', 'bio', 'eco' and 'biologique' — may not be used where a product does not comply with the Regulation. Trade marks, company names or wording that wrongly gives consumers the impression that a wine is organic may also fall within this prohibition.

What this means for wine

The protection applies to the entire chain: grape cultivation, processing and vinification, the substances and processes used, and the inspection of the producer. Only a recognised and certified operator may present the wine as organic. This means that 'organic wine' is, in legal terms, more than wine made solely from organically grown grapes: cellar operations must also comply with the applicable organic rules.

Labelling and inspection

As a rule, prepacked organic wine produced in the EU must display the EU organic logo — the green leaf. It must also show the code number of the competent control body and an indication of the origin of the agricultural raw materials. National authorities and recognised control bodies supervise compliance; in the Netherlands, for example, Skal Biocontrole plays a central role in certification and supervision.

Other wine terms and conclusion

Terms such as 'natural wine', 'sustainable' or 'environmentally friendly' do not automatically have the same meaning under EU law. Nor may they be used in a way that presents a non-certified wine as officially organic.

The legally precise conclusion is therefore: the commercial use of 'organic' and comparable designations for wine in Europe is legally reserved for products that demonstrably comply with EU rules.