The birds and the bees

Did you know there's no such thing as an organic wine?

It's only the grapes that can be truly organic,
not the wine itself.

That's because all wines contain preservatives called sulphites, says Fernando of Santa Emiliana winery in the Casablanca valley, and there's no such thing as an organic sulphite... yet. Someone's working on it, though.

And the unsung heroes of the organic grape industry? It's the birds and the bees. Let me explain.

In an organic vineyard, grapes are grown without chemicals. So to control predators, birds and insects are brought in to eat them. Geese, ducks and guineafowl live in coops among the vines and are employed to clean the soil. There's certainly worse commutes to work.

Guineafowl are partial to snacking on nematos - a type of caterpillar that pop up everywhere after a rainfall. And bees and wasps, the "good guys", are kept in hives and released to help polinate the vines and eat other pesky bugs.

Worms are good for burrowing into the soil and ladybirds, a "positive" insect, devour tonnes of negative insects that would otherwise eat away at the vines.

Lucikly the birds know not to eat the bees. And the wasps don't sting the worms.

Growing organic grapes is all about prevention not reaction, Fernando tells me. It's like having a relationship with each plant and costs around 35 per cent more than conventional farming. So you can't complain about paying a bit more for the end product.

So what's so good about organic grapes, anyway? Apart from being free from nasty chemicals, they make better-tasting wine.

Chemicals can mask grapes' natural flavours, making them bland and less distinctive. They also dull the colour of the finished wine, too. It's true - a red wine made from organic grapes is a proper glass stainer. It makes a good lipstick, too.

Another natural pest in the Casablanca valley at this time of year is frost.

That's why Santa Emiliana have invested in these wind towers - they light small fires around the vineyard and the propellers blow the warm air over the vines so the frost can't take hold. The winery next-door flies a helicopter over their vines - but that's a rather pricey way of doing it.

So when I come back as a grape in the Casablanca valley, make it an organic one please, with some wind towers nearby.

http://www.emiliana.cl/