13 October 2022
Organic wine is rising in popularity and consumers are expressing an increasing interest in what is in the wine they are drinking and how it is produced.
The Soil Association’s Organic Market Report 2022 revealed that 71% of consumers have become more concerned about the environment since the pandemic with 86% wanting food produced in more natural ways. It also revealed that total organic sales across all foods is set to grow by 5.2% - with the strongest growth segment being organic wine, representing 16.9% of total organic sales [Source].
It is not only thought that organic wines are better for the environment, but they are also better for one’s health. To put it simply, organic wines are those produced with organically grown grapes, excluding the use of artificial chemical fertilisers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. In the US, organic wines also have to be completely free of additional sulphates.
These restrictions on the use of synthetic chemistry can provide challenges for producers, as grapes can be vulnerable to a number of destructive pests and diseases such as powdery and downy mildew, and botrytis cinerea. This can be exacerbated by a poor season where the weather is unusually hot, cold, dry or wet. However, farmers are increasingly embracing organic wine production, driven by a number of factors, including:
- Growing market opportunity, driven by consumer demand – the market is expected to grow 7.22% per annum [Source].
- An increasingly stringent regulatory landscape - for example in France, where the Ministry of Agriculture and Food has recently introduced the ‘Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE)’ certification which recognises a high level of commitment to protecting and enriching the environment by all kinds of agricultural operations, including vineyards.
- A rising number of artisan producers who believe in the fundamental philosophy of sustainable production as a necessity for the longevity of their land and enterprise
Organic growers must rely on alternatives to conventional chemical crop protection products for ensuring a healthy crop yield. Some producers will look to use particular cultivation techniques to protect their crops, including methods such as planting cover crops in between the vines, the use of manure as a natural fertiliser and encouraging beneficial predator populations to manage pests that threaten the vines or grapes. However, these methods can be time intensive, expensive and have variable success rates.
Eden offers another solution via its biofungicide, Mevalone®, which is based on natural plant chemistry and is certified as an organic input across a number of geographies. It can be applied as a preventative solution for both Botrytis cinerea and Powdery Mildew on grapes, delivered via Eden’s patented plastic free micro-encapsulation technology, which is branded as Sustaine®. Efficacy of Mevalone is on par with synthetic pesticides, empowering farmers to protect their organic vines, while reducing the environmental and financial cost of crop losses. With the organic wine industry on the rise, there is significant potential for Eden to ride this wave, both in Europe and elsewhere.
Biopesticides can facilitate the growth of organic agriculture and support sustainable agricultural targets without compromising the fundamental principles of organic farming. They are also widely used in conventional agricultural systems, where they are valued for their reduced environmental impact and greater flexibility in terms of application timings and harvest intervals.
Eden previously had market authorisation for Mevalone in 14 countries but has just received US regulatory authorisation for not only Mevalone, but also its nematicide product Cedroz™ and three active ingredients eugenol, geraniol and thymol. In the US, Eden will be focusing on coastal and southern states such as California, famed for its wine industry and where there is a significant market opportunity.
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