Choosing your wine

We are asked this question more and more often, and honestly, it deserves better than the usual answers. No, organic wine is not necessarily better. No, conventional wine is not necessarily bad. The reality is more nuanced—and more interesting.

At Domaine Henri Bourgeois, we have opted for certified organic winemaking. This is not a marketing argument: it is an agronomic conviction built on decades of observation of our terroirs in Chavignol. What we are sharing here is what it concretely changes—and what it doesn't change.

The distinction between organic and conventional wine does not begin in the cellar—it begins in the vineyard, several months before the harvest.

Conventional agriculture allows the use of synthetic products to protect the vines: herbicides to control weeds, synthetic fungicides against fungal diseases (downy mildew, powdery mildew), and insecticides against certain pests.

The goal is to secure production against risks—and it works. This is a curative approach: intervention occurs when a problem arises.

Organic certification—governed by European Regulation EC 834/2007 and its revisions—prohibits synthetic products. Winemakers rely on naturally sourced products (sulfur, copper, plant-based preparations) and enhanced agricultural practices.

The logic changes radically: moving from curative to preventive. Observe, anticipate, adapt—rather than correct.

Working organically means spending more time in the vineyards. For us, that means regularly visiting the plots, observing their health, and adjusting treatments based on the week's weather conditions—not a predefined schedule.

Mechanical weeding replaces herbicides: the soil is worked, aerated, and alive. This means more tractor passes and more time, but also a soil that breathes differently.

It would be a lie not to say it: organic winemaking is more exposed to climatic hazards. A wet spring promotes downy mildew. A year like 2021 can be complicated even for the most experienced winemakers.

The flip side — and this is what we observe on our clay-limestone, flint, and Kimmeridgian marl terroirs — is a more direct expression of the soil, less smoothed by repeated chemical interventions.

This is the question everyone asks, and the honest answer is: not directly, not mechanically.

An organic wine is not inherently better than a conventional one. What matters is the quality of the grapes, the care taken during harvesting, and the winemaking choices. A bad winemaker can produce a bad organic wine. A good conventional winemaker can produce an excellent wine.

What organic practices can bring – and what we observe in our own cuvées – is a less standardized expression of the terroir, a more precise aromatic profile, and a more legible plot identity in the glass. But this is a trend, not a guarantee.

The organic regulatory framework limits synthetic pesticide residues in grapes—and thus in wine. Available studies show lower residue levels in organic wines compared to conventional ones.

However, wine remains an alcoholic beverage. Organic does not make wine harmless—it changes the production conditions, not the nature of the product.

Regarding sulfur—often cited as a cause of headaches—it is allowed in organic wine, but at slightly lower capped doses than in conventional wines. The health impact of this difference remains marginal according to available data.

We gradually converted all of our vineyards to organic winemaking over several years. This was not a decision taken lightly—it is a commitment that affects all production, all vintages, in all climatic conditions.

Our conviction: Sancerre is one of the most expressive terroirs in France. Sauvignon Blanc on flint, on Kimmeridgian marl, on limestone—each soil has an identity. Organic winemaking allows us to read this identity with greater fidelity.