The story
Organic and sustainable, explained
Organic, biodynamic, IPW, WIETA, WWF: five labels, five different promises, and none of them is about taste.
Four labels matter on South African wine farms. Organic and biodynamic certification cover how the vineyard is farmed, IPW covers environmental practice in vineyard and cellar, WIETA covers how workers are treated, and WWF Conservation Champion status recognises farms that protect wild land. None of them is a statement about taste.
Organic and biodynamic
South Africa has no national organic standard. Producers who want the word on an export label certify to the rules of the market they sell into, through bodies such as Ecocert or Ceres. Organic certification rules out substances of synthetic origin in the vineyard and sets lower sulphur limits than conventional wine. Certification is costly, so some farms work organically without it.
Biodynamic farming goes further: the farm is treated as a living whole, with natural preparations for the soil and work timed to the phases of the moon. Certification comes from Demeter. Waterkloof turned organic in 2007 and biodynamic in 2008, with biodynamic certification since 2013. Longridge Wine Estate is fully organic and biodynamic, first certified organic in 2015.







