Natural Wine vs Organic Wine: Understanding the Key Differences

You’re standing in the wine aisle. It’s a familiar place, but today it feels a little confusing. In your left hand, you have a bottle that says “Made with Organic Grapes.” In your right, one that a store employee enthusiastically called a “funky, living natural wine.”

They both sound healthy. They both sound like good choices. But are they the same thing?

The short answer is no.

The long answer is the reason you’re here. You’ve seen these terms pop up more and more, and the confusion is real. It’s one of the most common questions we see from wine lovers, whether they are just starting their journey or have been enjoying wine for years. What is the actual, real-world difference between organic and natural wine?

Think of it this way: One is a set of rules about farming, and the other is a whole philosophy about life.

Let’s clear up the confusion for good. By the end of this, you’ll be able to walk into any wine shop and know exactly what you’re looking at.

What is Organic Wine? It’s All About the Farm

Let’s start with organic. This is a term you’re probably already familiar with from the grocery store. You see organic apples, organic spinach, organic milk. The principles for wine are pretty much the same.

Organic wine is all about what happens in the vineyard.

At its core, "organic" is a farming certification. To be called organic, a vineyard has to follow a strict set of rules laid out by a government body, like the USDA in the United States. The main goal is to grow grapes without any synthetic, man-made stuff.

This means:

• No Synthetic Pesticides: Instead of spraying chemical bug killers, organic farmers might introduce helpful insects like ladybugs to eat the pests.
• No Synthetic Herbicides: To control weeds, they don’t use chemical weedkillers. Instead, they might use cover crops (plants grown between the vine rows) to choke out weeds, or even bring in animals like sheep to "mow" the vineyard.
• No Synthetic Fertilizers: To keep the soil healthy and full of nutrients, they use natural compost and manure, not a bag of chemical fertilizers.

The whole idea is to build a healthy, living ecosystem in the vineyard. When you have good soil and a balanced environment, the vines are stronger and can better resist disease on their own.

The Two Types of Organic Labels

This is where it gets a little tricky, especially in the U.S. You’ll see two main labels on bottles:

1. "Made with Organic Grapes": This is the most common label you'll find. It means exactly what it says: the grapes were grown in a certified organic vineyard following all the rules we just talked about. However, during the winemaking process in the cellar, the winemaker is allowed to add a few things, most importantly, a controlled amount of sulfites to keep the wine stable. They can also use non-organic yeast or fining agents.

2. "USDA Organic": This label is much stricter and rarer to see on a wine bottle. It means the grapes were grown organically, AND the winemaking process was also certified organic. The biggest rule here is no added sulfites. While grapes have a tiny amount of naturally occurring sulfites, none can be added as a preservative.

So, to put it simply: Organic wine is a guarantee about how the grapes were farmed. It doesn’t necessarily mean the winemaking process was 100% hands-off.

What is Natural Wine? A Philosophy of "Doing Nothing"

If organic wine is about the farm, natural wine is a philosophy that covers the entire journey from the grape to the glass. It’s less of a certification and more of a movement.

The guiding principle of natural wine is "nothing added, nothing taken away."

It starts with organic farming (or something even more intense, called biodynamics, which we’ll get to later), but it doesn’t stop there. The main focus of natural wine is what happens—or rather, what doesn’t happen—in the winery.

Think of it like making sourdough bread. You can buy a packet of yeast from the store, or you can cultivate a "starter" and capture the wild yeast that's already in the air and on the flour. Natural wine is the sourdough version.

Here are the unwritten rules that most natural winemakers follow:

• Organic or Biodynamic Grapes: This is the starting point. You can't make pure wine from grapes covered in chemicals.
• Hand-Harvested: Grapes are picked by hand, not by big machines, to ensure only the best bunches are chosen.
• Wild Yeast Fermentation: This is a big one. Natural winemakers let the native yeasts that live on the grape skins do the work of turning sugar into alcohol. They don’t add a packet of commercial, lab-grown yeast. This is what gives natural wine its unique, sometimes unpredictable, character.
• No Additives: This means no added sugar, no added acid, no color correctors, no extra tannins. The wine is just fermented grape juice.
• Little to No Added Sulfites: While organic wines can have some added sulfites, natural wines have very, very little, if any. The goal is to let the wine be as pure an expression of the grape as possible.
• Often Unfiltered and Unfined: Many modern wines are filtered to make them crystal clear. Natural winemakers often skip this step, believing it strips away flavor and texture. This is why some natural wines can look a bit hazy or cloudy in the bottle. That’s not a flaw; it’s part of its character!

Because there are no official rules, natural wine is a bit of a "wild west." The taste can be all over the map. Some are clean and beautiful. Others can be funky, sour, or even a little fizzy. They taste alive because, in many ways, they are.

This is where keeping a journal becomes so important. When you try a natural wine, you’ll want to remember it. Was it a juicy, slightly fizzy Pét-Nat? Was it a funky, earthy orange wine? Logging it in the Vinoh app helps you track these new flavors. You can use the tasting notes feature to jot down "a bit fizzy, tasted like sour cherries and earth," so you can start to build a map of what you like in this exciting new world.

Let's Break It Down: The Key Differences

Feature	Organic Wine	Natural Wine
Main Idea	A farming certification. It's about how the grapes are grown.	A winemaking philosophy. It's about doing as little as possible.
Farming	Must be certified organic. No synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.	Almost always organic or biodynamic, but not always certified.
Winemaking	Rules vary. Can use commercial yeasts and add some sulfites.	Minimal intervention. Uses wild yeasts, no additives.
Sulfites	"USDA Organic" = no added sulfites. "Made w/ Organic Grapes" = up to 100 ppm.	Very low to no added sulfites (usually under 30 ppm).
Certification	Yes, it's a legally regulated term with official logos.	No, it's a self-regulated movement based on a shared philosophy.
Taste	Tastes like conventional wine, just made from organic grapes.	Can have a wide range of unique, sometimes "funky" or "wild" flavors.
Appearance	Usually clear.	Often cloudy or hazy because it's unfiltered.

The biggest takeaway is this: Almost all natural wine is organic, but not all organic wine is natural.

An organic wine can be made in a very conventional way once the grapes get to the winery. A natural wine, on the other hand, embraces the wildness from start to finish.

A Quick Detour: What About Biodynamic Wine?

Just when you thought you had it figured out, you see another term: "biodynamic." What on earth is that?

Biodynamic wine is like organic farming plus a spiritual, holistic mindset.

It was developed in the 1920s by a philosopher named Rudolf Steiner. It starts with all the same principles as organic farming—no chemicals, focus on soil health—and then takes it a few steps further.

Biodynamic farming views the entire vineyard as one single living organism. Everything is connected: the soil, the plants, the animals, and even the cosmos.

Key practices include:

• Special Preparations: Biodynamic farmers use a series of nine special compost "preparations" made from herbs, minerals, and manure. These are treated like vitamins for the soil. One famous prep involves burying a cow horn stuffed with manure during the winter.
• Cosmic Calendar: They plant, prune, and harvest according to the cycles of the moon, planets, and stars. The idea is that different days are better for different tasks, depending on the cosmic alignment.

It might sound a bit "out there," but winemakers who practice it are some of the most dedicated and detail-oriented farmers in the world. They believe this intense connection to nature creates grapes that are more vibrant and expressive.

Many natural winemakers are also biodynamic farmers. The two philosophies fit together perfectly. If you believe in treating the vineyard as a living thing, it only makes sense to treat the wine with the same respect in the cellar.

How to Choose the Right Wine for You

So, you’re back in the wine aisle. Now what? You’re armed with knowledge, so you can make a choice based on what matters to you.

• If your main concern is avoiding synthetic chemicals in farming, but you still want a wine that tastes familiar and reliable, look for bottles with the "Made with Organic Grapes" or "USDA Organic" seal. An organic Cabernet Sauvignon will taste like a Cabernet Sauvignon. It will be clean, predictable, and delicious.

• If you are feeling adventurous, want to taste wine in its purest form, and are excited by the idea of something new and different, ask for a natural wine. Be open-minded! It might be the most vibrant, exciting wine you’ve ever tasted. It could also be a little weird. That’s the fun of it.

• If you are passionate about farming that goes above and beyond to care for the planet and want a wine with a unique sense of energy and place, look for a biodynamic wine. These wines are often incredibly expressive and beautifully made.

Feeling stuck? This is the perfect time to use your phone. With the Vinoh app, you can scan the bottle right there in the store. See reviews from other users, learn about the winery's story, and check critic scores.

Even better, you can ask your AI assistant, Soma. Just type, "Soma, I'm looking for a natural red wine that's good for a beginner," or "What's a good food pairing for this organic Chardonnay?" Soma learns your palate over time and can give you personalized recommendations, turning a confusing choice into a confident adventure.

Your Wine Journey, Your Choice

The world of wine is beautifully complex. The rise of organic, natural, and biodynamic wines is not just a trend; it's a response from people who want to feel more connected to what they drink.

There is no "best" choice here. It’s all about what you value. Do you value the certainty of a certification? Go organic. Do you value the thrill of the unexpected and a hands-off philosophy? Go natural. Do you value a deep, holistic connection to the earth? Go biodynamic.

Now you know the difference. You have the power to choose. The next step is to explore. Try one of each. Compare them. See what you think.

And don’t forget to document your journey. Every bottle tells a story, and your palate has its own story, too. Download the Vinoh app to log your tastings, discover food pairings, and see your personal wine map grow with every bottle you try.

Happy tasting