Organic wines you'll love

Natural is the new wine trend that’s here to stay. Woolies wine selector Allan Mullins suggests six bottles to suit any palate.

Organic wines are being recognised around the world, including those made by South African estates such as Laibach, Stellar Winery and the nation’s first Michelin-starred chef, Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen.

An organic vineyard may not spray its grapes with any form of chemical pesticide, herbicide or fungicide and instead allows natural predators to rid the vines of pests. Making their vineyard part of a larger ecosystem is something that Stellar Winery is deeply proud of, having emblazoned butterflies and ducks, geese and fireflies on the labels of their bottles. The largest producer of organic wines in the country, they also operate the Stellar Foundation Trust, which ensures that the vineyard’s staff are supported through funding, education and organisation.

For the past 20 years, Laibach has been run by MD and viticulturist Michael Malherbe, and winemaker François van Zyl, whose contrasting characters have led them to make creative and delicious organic blends. The first Stellenbosch winery to farm organically, Laibach released the Ladybird Red in 2004. The name celebrates the ladybirds that take care of pests on the vines.

Chef Jan’s restaurant is in Nice, France but his organic wine offering uses grapes from Frank Meaker’s organic wine farm Org de Rac. Taking the utmost care, Jan likens the process to creating a sauce, “adding more of this and less of that until it’s just right for the chef’s palate”.