Organic, biodynamic, and natural are not three grades of the same thing they answer three different questions. Here is what each label really tells you, and what it doesn't.
Few words on a wine label carry as much weight, or cause as much confusion, as organic, biodynamic and natural. They are often spoken of as if they sit on a single scale good, better, best when in truth they describe different things entirely. One is a farming standard. One is a whole philosophy of agriculture. One is a winemaking approach with no official rulebook at all. A wine can qualify for all three, or for just one, and the label alone will not always tell you which. If you want a starting point that shows how rewarding the category can be, the Marques de Caceres Ecologico, 2023 is a certified organic Tempranillo from Rioja, ruby in colour with aromas of red fruits and liquorice and a smooth, well-rounded palate a wine that makes the case for organic farming on flavour alone.
Three labels, three different questions
The simplest way to untangle these terms is to notice that each one answers a different question.
Organic answers the question: what went into the vineyard? Certified organic viticulture prohibits synthetic pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilisers, relying instead on compost, cover crops and biodiversity to keep vines healthy. Certification is granted by a recognised body the Soil Association in the UK, Agriculture Biologique in France, USDA Organic in the United States and the vineyard is inspected to earn it.
Biodynamic answers a bigger question: how is the whole farm managed as a living system? Rooted in the lectures Rudolf Steiner gave in 1924, biodynamics takes organic farming as its floor and builds on it. The estate is treated as a self-contained organism; nine numbered preparations made from manure, quartz and medicinal plants are applied to soil and vines; and work in the vineyard and cellar follows a calendar of root, leaf, flower and fruit days tied to lunar and planetary cycles. The certifying bodies are Demeter, founded in 1928, and the French association Biodyvin. A biodynamic wine is always organic; the reverse is not true.
Natural answers a third question: what happened in the cellar? Where organic and biodynamic are principally about growing grapes, natural wine is about not interfering once they are picked. Wild yeasts rather than cultured strains, no fining or filtration, no additives beyond a minimal dose of sulphur or none at all. Crucially, there is no legal definition. France's Vin Méthode Nature charter, launched in 2020, is the closest thing to a standard, but most natural wine still trades on the reputation of the producer rather than a logo.
Why the label never tells the whole story
Here is the part that catches many buyers out. Organic certification governs the vineyard far more tightly than it governs the winery. Under EU rules, a wine labelled organic may still be fined, filtered, and sulphured; the sulphite ceiling is simply lower than for conventional wine, at 100 mg/l for dry reds and 150 mg/l for dry whites rather than 150 and 200. In the United States, by contrast, a wine bearing the USDA Organic seal may contain no added sulphites at all, which is why American producers more often use the wording "made with organic grapes". Two wines carrying the word organic can therefore be made in strikingly different ways.
The reverse problem exists too. Plenty of estates farm organically or biodynamically without paying for certification, either because the paperwork is onerous or because they prefer to let the wine speak. Their bottles will carry no logo, yet the farming may be every bit as careful as a certified neighbour's. This is where a good merchant earns their keep: knowing which producers do what, and why.
The Fontodi Chianti Classico, 2022 is a reminder that certification and quality can go hand in hand. Certified organic and made entirely from Sangiovese at 14.5% ABV, it shows a deep ruby colour and perfumes of sour cherry and plum that lead into leather and tobacco, finishing with juicy fruit, supple tannins and a fine mineral edge £36.95 a bottle and every inch a serious Tuscan red. You will find it alongside a wide range of certified bottles in our organic wines collection.
Can a Wine Be Organic, Biodynamic and Natural at Once?
Because the terms describe different stages of production, they stack rather than compete. Think of it as a set of nested choices. A grower decides how to farm: conventionally, organically, or biodynamically. Then, separately, a winemaker decides how much to intervene in the cellar: heavily, moderately, or as little as possible. Natural wine sits at the far end of that second axis, and almost every natural producer also farms organically or biodynamically; the two philosophies naturally belong together.
A bottle that demonstrates this stacking neatly is the Bodegas Altolandon, Mil Historias Bobal, 2023 from Manchuela in central Spain, which carries organic, biodynamic and natural credentials together. Made from the Bobal grape at 13.5% ABV and priced at £16.95, it is deep cherry in colour, with aromas of cherries, blackberries, blackcurrant, violets, rosemary and a touch of black pepper, and a palate of vibrant fruit with a well-rounded texture. It is a persuasive answer to anyone who assumes minimal-intervention wine must taste rustic. More bottles from producers working this way are gathered in our biodynamic wines collection.
What none of the three terms guarantees, however, is style. Organic and biodynamic wines can be as polished and classically made as any conventional bottle the difference is in the farming, not the glass. Natural wine is the one category with a recognisable signature: a little haze, brighter acidity, sometimes a savoury or slightly wild edge from fermentation with ambient yeasts. That character is the point for its admirers and the sticking point for its critics, and it is worth knowing which camp you fall into before buying a case.
Which Label Is Right for You?
If you want the reassurance of farming without synthetic inputs, and no change to the styles you already love, organic is the label to look for, and the price premium is often small or non-existent. If you are drawn to producers who treat the vineyard as an ecosystem and whose wines frequently show a particular vitality and sense of place, biodynamic is worth seeking out. If you enjoy wines with a more untamed personality and are happy to accept some bottle variation as part of the deal, natural wine will reward your curiosity.
And if you are not sure, buy one bottle of each, open them across a week, and let the glass settle the argument.
Frequently asked questions
Is organic wine sulphite-free?
No. Sulphur dioxide is produced naturally during fermentation, and EU organic rules permit it to be added at lower limits than conventional wine. Only wines specifically labelled "no added sulphites" avoid it altogether.
Does biodynamic wine taste different?
Many growers and sommeliers say yes, pointing to freshness and vineyard character, though blind tastings are inconclusive. What is certain is that biodynamic farming demands intense attention to the vineyard, and attentive farming tends to produce better grapes.
Is natural wine the same as organic wine?
Not quite. Organic describes the farming; natural describes the winemaking. Most natural wine is made from organically grown grapes, but not all organic wine is made naturally.
Are these wines vegan?
Not automatically. Organic and biodynamic certification do not prohibit animal-derived fining agents, though many producers avoid them. Natural wines are typically unfined and therefore often vegan, but look for the vegan symbol to be sure.
Do organic and biodynamic wines cost more?
Not necessarily. The Marques de Caceres Ecologico 2023 is £14.95 and the Bodegas Altolandon Mil Historias Bobal 2023 is £16.95, both certified and both very good value.
A final thought
The rise of organic, biodynamic and natural wine reflects something worth celebrating: a growing number of producers who take their responsibility to the land seriously, and a growing number of drinkers who want to know what is in the bottle.
None of the three labels is a guarantee of quality on its own. But each tells you something real about the intentions of the people who made the wine, and in our experience, intention shows in the glass more often than not.
To explore the most hands-off end of the spectrum, our natural wines selection brings together bottles made with minimal intervention in the cellar, the perfect place to taste for yourself where these three philosophies meet.