The term 'organic' is a legally defined one, so in order to describe or sell a wine as 'organic' the vineyard the wine comes from must have been inspected by a recognised organic certification body. Furthermore, organic wines must identify the name of the certification body on the bottle label (examples include Ecocert, Nature et Progres or Terre et Vie from France, or The Soil the time. At Vintage Roots Nature et Progres or Terre et Vie we have decided only to from France, or The Soil Association in the UK).

This allows those thinking of buying organic to check whether a vineyard claiming to be organic really is certified as such. The term for this type of labelling is 'transparency'. Some wine growers who say that they practice organic methods choose not to become certified because certification involves fees and paperwork and a 100% commitment to more sustainable methods, all the time.