New Year, New You (keep the red wine!)



3 mins readJan 18, 2022

New Year, new you doesn’t have to mean removing wine! Let’s be honest, everyone loves a glass or two here and there. After all, red wine has been proven good for your heart!

According to the Mayo Clinic “Red wine, in moderation, has long been thought of as heart healthy. The alcohol and certain substances in red wine called antioxidants may help prevent coronary artery disease, the condition that leads to heart attacks.”

How is red wine heart healthy you may ask? Well, red wine carries antioxidants such as resveratrol that may reduce damage to the blood vessels, reduce bad cholesterol, and lower risk of inflammation and blood clotting.

That being said, wine can in fact be EVEN better for you. Here at Jacques Scott we carry a plethora of organic, biodynamic and natural wines. Curious about the differences?

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rose
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rose
Look for this label to find our Natural Wines!

Let’s start with natural wine.

The natural wine making process utilizes as little technological interference as possible, and as a result can end up tasting like more of a delicious kombucha, a bitter beer, or a crisp cider. A natural wine will always be organic or biodynamic, as it is allowed to ferment in a completely natural way, with no additives or pesticides. This results in a “living bottle of wine”. As an added bonus, without added sulfites or yeast, there is a significant reduction to the risk of a hangover or a headache after indulging..

The USDA and the EU have different laws and regulations when it comes to a certifiably organic wine. In the United States the winemaker must forego the use of sulfur dioxide entirely for it to be considered organic, complete with an organic seal. This is excellent because sulfites in general are what everyone is typically weary of when buying wines. The grapes are required to have the same growth and harvesting process as any organic produce to be considered 100% organic. Without that 100% guarantee, the USDA does not allow a certification whereas the EU requires the wine to be produced with more than 95% organic products to be labeled and certified organic.

Look for this label in our stores to locate organic and biodynamic wines.

Now, let’s get dive into biodynamic wines.

Biodynamic wines will ALWAYS be organic, but biodynamic farming is a horse of a different color when it comes to the entire growing, harvesting, and production process. Invented in the 1920’ by Rudolph Steiner, a Spiritual Philosopher, he believed the vineyard itself should be considered one ecological organism, from the soil, to the plants (of which there are not just grape vines), animals, sun, moon and stars. The fruit never makes contact with pesticides or unnatural fertilizers, and is hand harvested according to lunar cycle and the position of the planets and sun.

Unlike the unusual but delicious flavor of natural wines, the organic and biodynamic wines have a similar taste to a standard wine, and in some cases, are better than a standard wine. At this point it comes down to what your taste buds prefer! Everyone’s palate is different, just as every wine is different. But all 3 are absolutely worth trying. And who doesn’t love being a healthier and happier human being all year round?

Here are a selection of our Natural/Organic/Biodynamic wines. For more, feel free to contact any of our locations, and remember to keep an eye out for our shelf labels!