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Not many years ago, the word "organic" was something of a pejorative among top winemakers. Initially associated with fretful consumers preoccupied more with personal health than wine quality, the term had a compromising ring to it. Great winemakers, in the end, want to be known for great wine, not for health drinks destined to be paired with bean sprouts.

It also didn't escape those winemakers that many brands conspicuously waving the organic flag in the 1980s and 90s were pretty mediocre.

Fast-forward to today. The best producers now preach the organic gospel far and wide, as several dozen did at the Return to Terroir organic road show that held public tastings in Montreal and Toronto this year. They also boast about it to reporters without prompting. The subject came up several times as I toured the cellars of top winemakers in Burgundy recently, including the dark and mouldy cave of Michel Lafarge in the village of Volnay. "Biodynamic wines give pure, clean fruit flavour, better balance," Lafarge told me as we sipped a barrel sample of his Domaine Michel Lafarge Clos du Château des Ducs 2006, one of several delicate and gloriously perfumed pinot noirs we sampled that morning.

Lafarge, who is 79, has been making acclaimed wines his entire life yet converted to organic only in 1997. Since 2000, he has also been farming biodynamically, a zealous form of organic agriculture that involves lunar cycles and bizarre fertilizer concoctions made in cow horns. Now, he's harvesting smaller grapes with thicker skins, he says. That's a good thing for wine grapes, because much of the flavour, longevity and structure comes from compounds in the skins.

With ease, he rattles off a litany of Burgundy's most esteemed producers, all devoted to the organic cause. The list includes Domaine Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet, Pierre Morey in Meursault, Marquis d'Angerville in Volnay and Comte Armand in Pommard - a veritable Burgundian dream team. At the excellent Domaine Jacques Prieur, which I also visited, about 60 per cent of the vineyards are organic. As for Burgundy's most vaunted estate, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, it's been organic for the longest time, though I suspect few of the trophy hunters who can afford to plop down $600-plus for its pinot noirs tend to do so out of health or environmental concerns.

What changed? One thing was the growing awareness that many great estates, such as Romanée-Conti and France's Château de Beaucastel, had been quietly operating organically for ages and producing some of the world's best wines.

Also, an important schism within the movement occurred. Time was when the word "organic" was generally reserved for that extreme branch of winemaking that eschews all chemicals, notably sulfites in the winery. Then consumers got wise. They began to realize sulfites, which occur naturally and are common to foods such as dried apricots, were not the chief cause of wine headaches and do not pose the cancer risk of their cousins in rhyme, nitrites, found in hot dogs.

Sulphur dioxide, one member of the sulfite family, is a key antiseptic and antioxidant, crucial in maintaining freshness. Now a winery that employs minimal sulphur can still boast its wines are produced "from organically grown grapes." (About 5 per cent of asthmatics can have severe reactions to sulfites, the main reason governments started mandating label warnings.)

Organic-wine leaders such as Bonterra in California have done much to spread the gospel. Practices include planting grass between vine rows to retain soil moisture and control weeds, as well as allowing trees to grow among the vines to encourage a more diverse ecosystem, which cuts the chance of a single pest overwhelming the vineyard.

Another newly fashionable, though ancient, practice is to let animals such as chickens range freely to feed on insects and supply natural fertilizer. Vines spared the crutch of artificial fertilizers will tend to thrust roots down deeper into the ground for a more permanent nutrient source, which creates a sturdier plant and richer fruit.

I wish I could direct you to some of the better Burgundian producers I've listed above. Their products are exceedingly rare. But good organic products in general are much easier to find.

A slew of organic selections are being released today in Ontario through Vintages stores. One of my favourites does come from France too. It's called Domaine Jean-Max Roger Sancerre Cuvée Les Caillottes 2006 ($23.95, product No. 065573). This sauvignon blanc displays the classic Loire Valley style, light-bodied with tangy citrus notes supported beautifully by gunflint and a stone-mineral quality. It's a great white for toasting the arrival of spring, preferably with a salad involving asparagus or goat cheese.

From Niagara, look for Malivoire Pinot Gris 2006 ($19, No. 591305), medium-bodied, with fleshy tropical fruit, pear and good lift from the zippy acidity.

Another decent French effort is Vincent & Marie Christine Perrin Volnay Les Mitans 2005 ($49.95, No. 066621). A premier cru red from Burgundy, it shows typical Volnay delicacy, with subtle berry and candied fruit, some spice and lively acidity.

In a much richer vein is Madrigal Petite Sirah 2003 from California ($19.95, No. 071803). Big, luscious flavours of currant and raisin are enlivened by spicy black pepper.

From Chile and also available in British Columbia is the biodynamically produced Emiliana Coyam 2005 ($24.95, No. 063891; $24.99 in B.C.). Dark plum and blackberry dominate in this full-bodied blend of syrah, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, carménère and petit verdot, lifted by juicy acidity and a hint of dried herbs on the finish.

In British Columbia, look for the excellent Coudoulet de Beaucastel 2004 red ($34.99, No. 614503) and fabulous Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005 ($92, No. 277988).

None of the high-value wines from today's Vintages release is organic, but here they are anyway.

Cathedral Cellar Shiraz 2003 from South Africa ($16.95, No. 561142) is starting to show nice signs of age, full-bodied and offering up meat juices and tobacco on top of rip red and black fruits. Very food-friendly is Laurenz V. Friendly Gruner Veltliner 2006 ($17.95, No. 066225), a handsomely packaged Austrian white (look for the bright green screw-top), light and slightly silky, with notes of green apple, citrus and a delicate, herbal tang.

Pick of the week

Domaine Jean-Max Roger

Sancerre Cuvée Les Caillottes 2006 ($23.95, product No. 065573) is light-bodied

with tangy citrus notes. photo courtesy of vintages