On your labels, labels multiply and finding your way around can sometimes become complicated. What are the differences between Bio, HVE, Biodynamics and others? Which ones are the most developed in Burgundy? Enough to see more clearly. Well known for its signs of origin, AOC (Appellation d'origine contrôlée) and IGP (protected geographical indications), French wines have seen other certifications gain ground in recent years: environmental labels. These guarantee respect for the terroir, the product, sometimes even the agricultural worker. If it is impossible to mention them all, the best known of them deserve some clarification.
Organic farming
It is the most famous of the environmental labels, and also the most developed. In France, nearly 15% of vineyard areas would be certified. On the Burgundy side, more than 400 estates are "organic". The approach revolves around a major principle: the refusal of synthetic products. In the vineyards, GMOs are prohibited, as are so-called chemical treatments, which are replaced by copper and sulphur. In the cellar, it is forbidden to treat wine with non-organic products. As for sulphites, these preservatives sometimes criticized, their use is limited. To go further: www.agencebio.org
Demeter and Biodyvin (biodynamics)
Labels reserved for estates already certified in organic farming, who want to go even further in the process. In addition to the principles of organic, are applied precepts sometimes qualified as esoteric: homeopathic preparations to treat the vine, respect for lunar and planetary cycles during pruning and bottling in particular, and limitation of authorized oenological practices are part of the foundations of biodynamics. Very frequent practices in the prestigious areas of the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits. It must be said that the need for manpower is frequently multiplied by two, compared to a conventional field. In Burgundy, only 28 estates are Demeter certified, compared to 13 in Biodyvin. To go further: http://www.biodyvin.com/ and https://www.demeter.fr/
The HVE
For "High Environmental Value". This young label, created by the Ministry of Agriculture during the Grenelle de l'environnement is a great success. In Burgundy, more than 300 farms have passed the milestone, and the momentum is on the rise. Here, the winegrowers are rated on four criteria: treatment strategy, respect for biodiversity, choice of fertilization and protection of water resources. In the specifications, no strict prohibition, but an average score on the whole work. Some see it as a significant step forward, with a global approach, respecting the environment in all its aspects – including biodiversity, absent from organic certification. Others describe this label as "hypocritical" because of its less restrictive conditions than those of organic. To go further: https://hve-asso.com/
Terras Vitis
This is the label of so-called "reasoned" agriculture, which could, in a very schematic way, place between organic and conventional. As with the HVE, the environment is taken into account in its entirety: limitation of treatments, respect for biodiversity, and waste control. But the label goes further thanks to a social component, which takes into account the working conditions on the farm. Terra Vitis is still underdeveloped. In Burgundy, only about twenty estates have made this choice. To go further: https://terravitis.com/
Wine Nature Method
A new kid, still little claimed, but which deserves a spotlight. While the most total vagueness surrounded the production of so-called "natural" wines, with as many conceptions as producers, a group of winegrowers wanted to frame the thing. Created in 2019, and quickly recognized by the State services, the "Vin Méthode Nature" certification rewards nectars from organic vines and harvested by hand, then vinified without any addition: no sugar, no yeasts, no glues. The only exception is on the side of sulphites – the main preservative of wine – whose addition is allowed at a very low dose (up to 20% of the regulatory maximum), only before bottling. To go further: https://vinmethodenature.org/ 
