Top organic white wines to try this summer
“When it comes to wine, I tell people to throw away the vintage charts and invest in a corkscrew. The best way to learn about wine is the drinking” Alexis Lichine
Organic White Wine
Vintage Roots have white wines in every style; from sweet white wine to bone dry, crisp and linear to lush and creamy. We were raised not to brag but we think that whatever your taste and budget, Vintage Roots have some of the best white wines around.
You can browse Vintage Root’s range of organic white wine or read more about the types of white wine on our blog.
If you are visiting our website for the first time, it is important to know that all of our wines are fully certified organic and / or biodynamic. That means that each and every one of our producers works to strict guidelines both in the vineyard and cellar.
For white wine lovers, one of the most important things to know is that added sulphur is lower in organic wine than it is in standard wines. The permitted maximum SO2 in organic white wines is 150g/l – though in practice, much less, versus 200mg/l in conventional winemaking.
For sweet white wines, the permitted levels are considerably higher for both organic and conventional, due to the amount of sugar in the wine. If you suffer from sulphur sensitivities or wish to avoid it, then it’s best not to drink dessert wines.
Organic White Wine – Perfect for Summer
Today we are talking about summer. Many more of us will be enjoying the season at home this year and so let’s raise a glass and toast the Great British Summer
What makes a great summer white wine? It’s refreshing taste, of course! Alongside the odd overly- charcoaled piece of chicken! We occasionally like a wine that is sunny yellow in appearance and rich and creamy in flavour, so that we can be cheered when the temperatures aren’t quite what we’d hoped.
Food friendly, white wines should be embraced with a wide range of dishes. Do not be put off by those unimaginative – and often inaccurate – back labels that say, “salads and chicken dishes”!
The Vintage Roots view is that if you’re enjoying what you are eating and drinking together, then you’ve got a good match going. Still, there are some helpful rules that can be a useful guide.
White wines that have been fermented and aged in oak are typically on the richer side. You might pick up buttery, vanilla and ripe orchard fruit flavours in the wine. Sweet baking spices like nutmeg and cinnamon are commonly found too. Wines like this work well with grilled foods, be they vegetables, cheese, poultry and fish. Hint … it’s BBQ time! Food that’s served with creamier sauces can overwhelm lighter bodied white wines, but a bold, oaked Chardonnay often sings best when there’s a dash of cream on the plate. Perhaps most surprisingly for some is the huge success that is an oaked Chenin Blanc with goats cheese – a delicious change to Sauvignon Blanc.
If your white wine choice is lighter and more fragrant, the most important factor to bear in mind is that you don’t want the food to overwhelm the wine. That said, there are some partnerships that might take you by surprise. A well-chosen Riesling or even Gewürztraminer can be a star choice with curries. They can tame the heat and make for a more soothing experience… a touch of residual sugar is key here – you don’t want a bone-dry white.
Relaxed, mezze and tapas-like eating can also be a great opportunity to showcase your white wine collection. Verdejo and Albariño are often star performers in this regard.
Stefano Lubiana’s Primavera Chardonnay
£24.50
How does it taste?
As warm and sunny as it looks! Rich, ripe white orchard fruits with vanilla pod and clarified butter mark this textural, elegant wine.
The staycation food choice for this wine would have to be scallops, which you could pan-fry with garlic and a splash of the Primavera! Make sure you don’t splash too generously and have plenty left to pour into your glass!
Region: Tasmania
Solis: Both grey gravelly loams over clay and red loam over gravel
£15.25
To refresh and restore after a warm summer’s walk, there’s not much better than this!
How does it taste?
Super-fresh with zippy acidity, fresh lime and green apple with light white pepper notes and a fine mineral backbone.
If time allows, dig out one of those recipes for 24-hour roast pork recipes that use spices like fennel. Firstly, your kitchen will smell amazing and secondly, the Grüner will drink deliciously with it!
Region: Burgenland
Soil: Loam
Bodegas Piqueras Verdejo / Sauvignon Blanc
£10.75
A sure-fire hit with drop-in visitors!
How does it taste?
A medium-bodied treasure, this Spanish white has fresh tropical fruits, reminiscent of pineapple and melon with touches of lime peel and fresh-picked lemons. Aged on its fine-lees, the wine has a lovely breadth of flavour on the palate.
Moro is a much-loved restaurant and propietors, Sam(antha) and Sam(uel) Clark have a selection of truly great cookbooks to their name. Come the summer, their recipes lend themselves to outdoor eating. A perennial favourite is their Sardinas a la parilla. Scrub down the BBQ, light those coals and pop open the wine. A yummy summer treat.
Region: DO Almansa
Soil: Limestone rich
White wine food pairings for summer
In thinking about how we might choose which of our delicious white wines to draw to your attention, we thought that the best way was to start with some of our best-loved summer recipes. From the likes of Jamie Oliver, Yotam Ottolenghi, The Hairy Bikers, Nigel Slater and the good old BBC we have picked delicious things to eat and chosen the wine we would most like to drink with each. Give them a go and drop us a tweet or an email so we know what you think! @VintageRootsLtd
White and sparkling. The top choice has to be a glass of Cava (or DO Penedès as ours is now called) with an eggy Spanish frittata. If it’s got to be still, then make it a Sauvignon Blanc. We will stick with the Albet i Noya Petit Albet Brut which is just the ticket.
£14.99
How does it taste?
A critically-acclaimed blend of macabeu, xarel.lo and parellada, this sparkling is brilliantly vivacious with an herbal touch to the fruit, making it a really good partner for the frittata. The mousse is soft and lively.
Region: DO Penedès
Soil: Poor in organic matter, with variable levels of clay and sand on a limestone bed; permeable but with good moisture retention.
You can explore alternative sparkling wines on our website.
Mighty Mackerel with Mixed Tomato and Quinoa Salad
Mmm. The oiliness of the mackerel makes me instantly want to grab a bottle of Picpoul de Pinet from the rack.
£12.95
How does it taste?
A crisp, saline driven palate with sparkly citrus and a touch of brine.
Region: Picpoul de Pinet (the appellation and grape share the same name; surprisingly rare!)
Soil: Limestone with sandy deposits
If you like to go with the classics, choose a chardonnay. Top choice for us would be Walnut Block Nutcracker Chardonnay
£18.50
How does it taste?
Divine! Full-bodied and rich, yet with tightly structured minerality. Abundant flavours of stone fruit and citrus with hints of nuts. The finish is beautifully supported with elegant oak and good acidity.
Region: Marlborough
Think we are going to make a boo-boo and pick out a red?! Not a chance. Semillon is your friend here and in particular the star effort from Château Grinou.
£13.50
How does it taste?
This is a wine with a lovely creamy, lanolin texture with flavours of pear and melon; will gain in richness and complexity over time.
Region: Bergerac
Soil: Clay
It’s the verve and energy of the Greek Windmill Malagouzia that makes it such a good wine with these burgers.
How does it taste?
Plenty of zip and drive in this delicious Portuguese Vinho Verde. Filled with Granny Smith apple and green citrus, there are touches of salty minerality too. The merest touch of spritz just add to the sheer joyousness of this wine.
Region: Vinho Verde
Soil: Granite
Vegan Kebabs with Avocado Dressing
The minute I read, see and taste avocado I find myself hunting down a Chablis, like this one from Domaine Goulley. Always works for me!
£25.00
How does it taste?
Crisp, bright chardonnay with apple and kiwi notes underscored with lovely minerality.
Region: Chablis
Soil: Kimmeridgian clay
If you would like a vegan certified alternative then look to the Reuilly Sauvignon Blanc.
There’s no doubt that red wine is probably the beef burger’s best friend but if you really fancy a white then go for something big and bold … Viña Ijalba Rioja Maturana Blanca springs to mind!
£18.95
How does it taste?
This is a white wine with a tannic structure and that is what makes it a good option to serve with red meat. This is a unique wine with orangey flavours and white orchard fruit skin. At only 11.5% ABV you might be surprised by the oomph that this wine has.
Region: Navarra
Soil: Clay-calcareous
Interested in discovering more, organic low-alcohol white wines. Click here.
Prawn Skewers with tomato chutney and roast red peppers
The sprightly English Bacchus from Forty Hall Vineyard will help the prawns sing here!
How does it taste?
Some say that Bacchus is England’s answer to sauvignon blanc. Forty Hall’s wine certainly shares those distinctive gooseberry and greengage flavours and has a fresh, clean finish.
Region: Enfield, North London
Soil: TBA
Piri Piri Halloumi Slaw Wraps with Sweet Potato Wedges
All that flavour is crying out for a full, characterful Chardonnay. Look no further than the Domaine Bousquet Reserve Chardonnay
£15.50
How does it taste?
Gorgeous nose dominated by yellow plum, peach and baked pear. If you’ve been lucky enough to smell fresh-picked and newly sliced Sicilian lemons, then there’s a bit of that too! The palate has a creamy feel with the fruit forward and generous and wonderfully fresh to the finish.
Region: Tupungato
Soil: Gravel and sand soil
Sauternes-Poached Salmon Salad with French Beans and Barley
This decadent and truly delicious recipe is a delight. It comes highly recommended. Frankly, as the recipe calls for 250ml of Sauternes, it would be criminal to serve it with anything other than a glass of what remains!
£24.00
How does it taste?
A glorious sweet white wine, Château Dudon’s Sauternes is a bit of wine heaven. Deeply honeyed with exotic tropical fruit this is both opulent and impressively fresh. A masterclass in sweet wine making.
Region: Bordeaux
Soil: Silica, chalk and gravel