Walk down any grocery store aisle today and you’ll see consumers reading ingredient labels. More than ever, people are reaching for products with shorter ingredient lists and labels like organic, biodynamic, sustainably farmed,or third-party testing claims over conventionally produced alternatives. From prepared foods to personal care items, we’re increasingly interested in understanding what goes into the products we bring home. But there’s one product that has traditionally remained a bit of a mystery: wine.
Currently, U.S. wineries are not required by law to disclose ingredients on their wine labels. Many people assume that if the ingredients aren’t listed, there simply aren’t many of them. In reality, that isn’t always the case. Unlike most packaged foods, wine has historically revealed very little about how it was made. Yet every bottle tells a story, not just about the vineyard where the grapes were grown, but also about the decisions made in the winery. At RIDGE, we’ve long believed those decisions should be transparent.
“As more of our estate vineyards were certified organic and we could put ‘organically grown’ on the label, we began to ask ourselves, does ‘organic’ mean anything at all for your health if chemical additives were used once the grapes reached the winery?” — Paul Draper, Winemaker Emeritus
In 2011, RIDGE became one of the first wineries in the United States to voluntarily list ingredients on every bottle (more than a decade before the European Union required ingredient labeling on wine labels in 2023). We did so for a simple reason: we believe our customers deserve to know what’s in their glass.
But transparency doesn’t begin at bottling; it begins in the vineyard. If we want consumers to understand what goes into a bottle of wine, we have to start with its most important ingredient: the grapes. How those grapes are farmed has a profound impact on everything that follows, influencing not only the flavor and character of the wine, but also how much intervention is needed in the winery.
Organic & Sustainable Farming at RIDGE
As of 2023, 100% of our Estate Vineyards became certified organic. In addition, all of the vineyards that we farm are certified sustainable by the Fish Friendly Farming Environmental Certification Program. Organic and sustainable farming are the foundation of RIDGE’s winemaking philosophy because exceptional wine begins long before the grapes reach the winery. Healthy, living soils produce balanced vines that are naturally more resilient, allowing grapes to develop complex flavors without relying on synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. By farming organically, RIDGE encourages biodiversity, protects the surrounding ecosystem, and minimizes the environmental impact of each vineyard. Just as importantly, healthier fruit requires less intervention in the cellar. When grapes arrive in optimal condition, winemaking can remain simple and transparent, allowing each vineyard and vintage to express itself authentically rather than being shaped by additives or corrective techniques.
The Difference Isn’t the Toolbox. It’s How Often You Reach for It.
According to the TTB, there are over 60 approved wine additives available to U.S. winemakers today. Some help support fermentation. Others protect wine from oxidation, improve stability, or clarify the finished wine. Many are processing aids that are removed before bottling, while a handful remain in the finished wine. The important question isn’t how many of these tools exist. It’s when, and why, they’re used.
Think about specialty coffee. If you start with exceptional beans grown at high elevation and roasted with care, there’s very little you need to add to appreciate what’s in the cup. If the beans are lower quality or lack character, it’s tempting to rely on flavored syrups, excess sugar, or heavy cream to create a richer experience. Great wine works much the same way.
Exceptional vineyards produce fruit with the balance, complexity, and character that allow the terroir to shine. The higher quality the grapes, the less intervention is needed in the winery. This pre-industrial philosophy has guided RIDGE for more than sixty years. Our goal isn’t to eliminate every winemaking tool. Rather, it’s to use only those that help preserve and highlight the character of the vineyard, not reshape it.
What’s on a RIDGE Label?
Turn over a bottle of RIDGE and you’ll find a remarkably short ingredient list. Though the list of ingredients for any given wine can vary, you’ll most often find the following:
Grapes
Every RIDGE wine begins with carefully farmed grapes from exceptional vineyards. We believe great wine starts in the vineyard, not in the cellar.
Yeast
Yeast is responsible for one of nature’s greatest transformations, converting grape sugar into alcohol during fermentation. Without yeast, there is no wine. Indigenous yeast is yeast that is naturally occurring on grapes in the vineyard that carries out fermentation, contributing to a wine’s unique sense of place and character.
Calcium Carbonate (when needed)
A natural mineral used in small amounts to reduce excessive acidity and help balance the wine.
Tartaric Acid (when needed)
Tartaric acid is the principal acid naturally found in grapes and is essential to a wine’s freshness, balance, and longevity. In warmer vintages, grapes can naturally lose acidity as they ripen. A small addition of tartaric acid simply restores balance, allowing the wine to express itself as intended.
Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂)
Sulfur dioxide has been used in winemaking for centuries and is one of the most important tools for protecting wine from oxidation and spoilage. Small amounts are also produced naturally during fermentation. When used thoughtfully and sparingly, sulfur dioxide helps ensure the wine in your glass tastes as vibrant and expressive as it did when it left the winery.
Every addition we make serves a clear purpose: to preserve the quality of the wine and faithfully express the vineyard from which it came.
Transparency Matters
Transparency isn’t about suggesting that every winemaking addition is harmful. Many approved winemaking materials have long histories of safe use and play important roles in producing stable, high-quality wines. Transparency is about giving consumers the information they need to make informed decisions. Just as ingredient labels have become standard on the foods we eat, we believe wine should be no different.
For RIDGE, transparency has never been limited to the back label. It’s reflected in how we farm our vineyards, how we care for our employees, how we measure and work to reduce our environmental impact, and how openly we share those efforts with our customers. Whether it’s publishing our sustainability goals, tracking our carbon footprint, or voluntarily listing every ingredient in our wines, we believe trust is built by being willing to show our work.
So, what’s really in your glass?
Certainly grapes, yeast, and a handful of thoughtfully chosen ingredients. But also decades of careful farming, the stewardship of our vineyards, a commitment to continual improvement, and the dedication of the people who tend the vines, craft the wines, and stand behind every bottle.
Because the most important ingredient in every bottle isn’t something added in the winery. It’s the vineyard, the people, and the place that made it possible.
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