Organic wines that won’t upset your wallet or tastebuds | Alistair Gibson

Without doubt the most popular topic now is organic wines. This is not surprising as according to recent figures published by organic wine fair Millésime Bio, worldwide organic wine consumption will hit a billion bottles by 2023 – an increase of 34 per cent from 2018 and a staggering 221 per cent increase from 2013.

Here are a few organic wines to have caught my attention in the past few months that underline the excitement and strength in depth of this increasingly popular category.

Aldi continues to add to its range of organic wine and I think Aldi Organic Prosecco (Aldi £7.99) offers great value for money. Of course, as Prosecco is currently the most popular sparkling wine style in the UK, this is a good place to start.

The nose has notes of pear skin, green apple and reminds me of lemon sherbet. It’s followed by a fresh palate with plenty of lively bubbles and a mouth-wateringly dry finish. It has more character than many sub-£10 proseccos and the fact it is organic too is a definite plus.

Still in Italy but farther south, Fabrizio Vella Bianco Organico 2018, Sicily (Hermitage Cellars £7.50, thesolentcellar.co.uk £8.99) is not only organic but also ‘natural’.

Natural wine is a relatively new category – although you could argue it is the oldest form of wine-making. It is made with little or no intervention from the winemaker, allowed to ferment spontaneously, has no added sulphites and is likely to be bottled without filtration.

Made from the local grape catarratto, it is fermented in its skins in old acacia wood barrels and is unfiltered so has a slight haze in the glass. Don’t let that put you off. The nose offers much fresh citrus fruit and tropical notes, followed by a fresh, crisp palate with zesty green apples on the finish. A great value introduction to natural winemaking.

Bodegas Altolandon Mil Historias Garnacha 201t, Manchuela (Hermitage Cellars £10.65) has proved one of the most popular organic wines at tastings. From a family estate near Valencia, it is made from garnacha – grenache in France. It has an intense deep dark cherry colour, with a nose of forest fruits, a touch of raspberry and dried herbs, followed by more dark fruits and dried herbs on the palate with some white pepper and just a touch of balsamic sweetness on the juicy finish. Very moreish and something to serve with a casserole.

n Alistair Gibson, proprietor of Hermitage Cellars, 07712 669 973 or e-mail [email protected].