What's the difference between regenerative and organic?

Organic is a federally regulated standard focused on what farmers can't use, like synthetic pesticides. Regenerative focuses on outcomes like soil health and biodiversity, but has no legal definition unless it's backed by a certification such as Regenerative Organic Certified.

Is regenerative a real certification?

"Regenerative" on its own is not certified or regulated. Private programs certify it, including Regenerative Organic Certified, Certified Regenerative by A Greener World, and Land to Market. Many farms practice regenerative methods without a certification, so ask what was done and measured.

What is a life cycle assessment?

A life cycle assessment (LCA) measures a product's environmental impact at every stage, from raw materials and production to packaging, transport, use and disposal. The method is set by ISO 14040 and 14044.

Is Kernza regenerative?

Kernza is a perennial grain, so it isn't tilled and replanted every year, and its roots can reach ten feet or more. That protects soil and water. Precise carbon figures for Kernza are still being studied.

What's the difference between biodynamic and organic wine?

Biodynamic wine must be organic first, then follows extra whole-farm practices and preparations. In the U.S., "biodynamic" requires Demeter certification.

Does organic wine have sulfites?

In the U.S., wine labeled "organic" cannot have added sulfites. Wine with added sulfites can be labeled "made with organic grapes."

What does carbon neutral mean on a label?

It usually means the company bought carbon offsets. As of September 2026, the EU bans offset-based carbon neutral claims on products.

What does clean label mean?

Clean label has no legal definition. It usually means a short, recognizable ingredient list.

The Sensory Set / The GlossaryLast reviewed October 2026

The Sip Well Glossary

A lot of words on drink labels sound like guarantees. A few of them are. This is a guide to which ones.

By Jaymee MandevilleFounder, Jet Set Consulting

I've spent my career as the bridge between the source and the sip, so I've walked a lot of fields and read a lot of labels. I'm also the person who looks things up before buying anything that says it's good for the planet. These are the terms people ask me about most. For each one I've written what it means, whether anyone checks, and what to look out for.

One rule of thumb helps with almost all of them: a term with a certifier behind it has rules someone audits. A term without one is the brand's word.

Regenerative

Regenerative means farming that leaves the soil, water and wildlife better off than before. Right now, any brand can print it.

Who checks: No one, legally. There's no federal definition in the U.S. California adopted a definition in 2025, but said outright it isn't for labels or certification. USDA launched a $700 million regenerative pilot program in late 2025, but that's farmer funding, not a label.
Watch for: The word on its own, with no explanation. A 2026 report described regenerative labels as "a confusing patchwork." A seal isn't the only kind of proof, though. Many farmers work regeneratively for years without paying for certification, and some crops are regenerative by design: a perennial grain that's never tilled is protecting the soil with or without a sticker on the bottle. The useful questions are what changed on the land, what was measured, and who measured it.

Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC)

Regenerative Organic Certified starts with organic and adds requirements for soil health, animal welfare and fair treatment of workers. It's the strictest regenerative label available.

Who checks: The Regenerative Organic Alliance, a private certifier. Farms must be certified organic first, then they add the extra requirements. It comes in Bronze, Silver and Gold tiers.
Watch for: Not much. If the ROC seal is on the label, an auditor has been to the farm. It's demanding and expensive, which is why relatively few products carry it.

Other regenerative seals

Several private programs certify regenerative farming, and each one asks for something different.

Certified Regenerative by A Greener World runs on a five-year farm plan and doesn't require organic.
Land to Market (from the Savory Institute) verifies measured results on the land, mostly for meat, dairy and wool.
Watch for: The name of the program. "Certified regenerative" only tells you something once you know who did the certifying.

Organic

Organic is the only farming claim on this list backed by federal law. In the U.S., it means no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers and no GMOs, verified by an inspector.

Who checks: USDA-accredited certifiers, under federal rules.
The tiers: "100% organic." "Organic" (at least 95% organic ingredients). "Made with organic ___" (at least 70%, no USDA seal allowed).
For drinks: On alcohol, the certifier approves the label before it goes to the federal alcohol regulator (TTB). A detail that surprises people: in the U.S., wine labeled "organic" can't contain added sulfites. If sulfites are added, it has to say "made with organic grapes" instead. Europe allows them in organic wine.

Biodynamic

Biodynamic farming is organic farming that treats the whole farm as one living system, with its own compost preparations and planting calendar.

Who checks: In the U.S., Demeter holds the certification mark, so a product can't legally call itself "biodynamic" without Demeter. Farms must be organic first, and they recertify every year.
Watch for: "Biodynamic wine" and "made with biodynamic grapes" are different labels with different cellar rules.

Natural wine

Natural wine is wine from organically farmed grapes, made with as little intervention as possible. It has no legal definition, so you're relying on the producer.

Who checks: No one in the U.S. or EU. France has a private label, Vin Méthode Nature, with real rules: organic hand-picked grapes, native yeast, no added sulfites before or during fermentation. It was widely reported as an official designation, but it's a private label.
Watch for: Bottles that use "natural" as a mood. A good shop or producer can tell you how the wine was made.

Sustainable

Sustainable is the most common word on these labels and the least defined. Without a certification behind it, it describes the brand's intentions.

Who checks: Only when there's a program behind it. Wine has a few good ones: SIP Certified and California Certified Sustainable both require third-party audits and at least 85% certified fruit for the label. B Corp certifies the company, not the bottle.
Watch for: As of September 27, 2026, the EU bans generic claims like "sustainable" without proof. The U.S. hasn't caught up.

Carbon neutral / net zero

Carbon neutral usually means the company bought carbon offsets to balance out its emissions. The product still created emissions.

Who checks: It depends on the offset program, and quality varies widely.
Watch for: As of September 27, 2026, the EU bans product claims like "carbon neutral" that rely on offsets. In the U.S., the courts are split and the FTC's green marketing guidance hasn't been updated since 2012. A more useful question for any brand is how much it has actually cut.

Clean label

Clean label is a marketing phrase with no legal definition. It usually means a short ingredient list made of things you recognize.

Who checks: No one.
Watch for: Treating it as a safety rating. Plenty of ingredients with long names are harmless, and plenty of familiar ones aren't.

Natural

"Natural" on a food or drink label means almost nothing. The FDA has never formally defined it.

Who checks: No one. The FDA's informal policy is "nothing artificial or synthetic added that you wouldn't expect." It says nothing about how the ingredients were grown.
Watch for: Natural flavors can be highly processed. Natural doesn't mean organic.

Upcycled

Upcycled means made from something that would otherwise have been thrown away, like spent brewers' grain, fruit pulp or coffee cherry.

Who checks: Upcycled Certified, from the Upcycled Food Association. A finished product needs at least 10% upcycled content by weight, not counting added water, which matters a lot for drinks.
Watch for: The seal. Without it, you're taking the brand's word for the amount.

Fair Trade

Fair Trade means farmers were paid a set minimum price plus a premium for their community.

Who checks: Two separate certifiers with separate seals: Fairtrade International and Fair Trade USA. Their rules differ.
Watch for: Which seal. It matters most in coffee, tea, cacao and sugar.

Non-GMO

Non-GMO means no genetically engineered ingredients. The verified version has the Non-GMO Project's butterfly on it.

Who checks: The Non-GMO Project verifies it privately. Separately, the U.S. requires a "bioengineered" disclosure on some foods, but alcohol is exempt, and being exempt doesn't make a drink non-GMO.

Perennial grain (Kernza)

A perennial grain grows back every year without being replanted, which makes it one of the most naturally regenerative crops there is.

What it is: Kernza is a trademarked grain developed by The Land Institute. Because the field isn't plowed every year, the soil stays in place, and the roots, which can reach ten feet or more, help hold soil and water.
Watch for: The soil-health benefits of deep perennial roots are well established. The exact carbon numbers for Kernza itself are still being measured, so I'd be wary of anyone quoting exact tonnage. (Full disclosure: I'm a partner in a spirits brand made with Kernza.)

Terroir

Terroir is the taste of a place: its soil, climate and slope, and the people who farm it.

Who checks: No one certifies terroir itself, but place names are protected by appellation systems like France's AOC and America's AVAs.
Watch for: Big claims about terroir with no specific place attached. The more precise the location, the more the word means.

Traceable

Traceable means you can follow an ingredient from the farm to the glass, and the brand is willing to show you how.

Who checks: As a marketing word, no one.
Watch for: Specifics like farm names, regions and harvest dates. A brand that can't tell you where its ingredients came from isn't traceable, whatever the label says.

Life cycle assessment (LCA)

A life cycle assessment measures a product's environmental impact at every stage, from the field to the recycling bin.

What it covers: Growing or sourcing the ingredients, making the product, the packaging, shipping it, using it and throwing it away. "Cradle to grave" covers all of it. "Cradle to gate" stops when the product leaves the factory, so check which one you're looking at.
Who checks: The method is set by international standards (ISO 14040 and 14044). Good LCAs are reviewed by a third party.
Watch for: An LCA often shows that a product's biggest impact is somewhere the marketing never mentions. If a brand makes a big environmental claim, ask if there's an LCA behind it, and what it left out.

Planet positive

Planet positive means a product claims to give back more to the environment than it takes. I like the ambition, and I want to see the proof.

Who checks: No one. It's a marketing phrase, not a standard.
Watch for: Whether there's an LCA, a certification or a farm you can actually look up. I'm usually the one reading the back of the bottle in the aisle. I like doing my own research, and when a brand can show me it's taking care of the land and the people who work it, I'm happy to spend my money there.

Greenwashing

Greenwashing is an environmental claim that makes a product sound better for the planet than it is.

Who checks: In the U.S., the FTC's Green Guides, which are guidance, not law, and haven't been updated since 2012. The UK can now fine companies directly for misleading green claims. The EU's new consumer rules took effect in September 2026.
Watch for: Vague language, leaf graphics and no evidence. More on this in my piece Sustainability Without the Greenwash.

Sip well

Sip well is how I describe where drinking is headed: quality over quantity, and drinking on purpose. For me it means knowing what's in the glass and why you chose it.

Who checks: You do.

FAQ

What's the difference between regenerative and organic?: Organic is a federally regulated standard focused on what farmers can't use, like synthetic pesticides. Regenerative focuses on outcomes like soil health and biodiversity, but has no legal definition unless it's backed by a certification such as Regenerative Organic Certified.
Is regenerative a real certification?: "Regenerative" on its own is not certified or regulated. Private programs certify it, including Regenerative Organic Certified, Certified Regenerative by A Greener World, and Land to Market. Many farms practice regenerative methods without a certification, so ask what was done and measured.
What is a life cycle assessment?: A life cycle assessment (LCA) measures a product's environmental impact at every stage, from raw materials and production to packaging, transport, use and disposal. The method is set by ISO 14040 and 14044.
Is Kernza regenerative?: Kernza is a perennial grain, so it isn't tilled and replanted every year, and its roots can reach ten feet or more. That protects soil and water. Precise carbon figures for Kernza are still being studied.
What's the difference between biodynamic and organic wine?: Biodynamic wine must be organic first, then follows extra whole-farm practices and preparations. In the U.S., "biodynamic" requires Demeter certification.
Does organic wine have sulfites?: In the U.S., wine labeled "organic" cannot have added sulfites. Wine with added sulfites can be labeled "made with organic grapes."
What does carbon neutral mean on a label?: It usually means the company bought carbon offsets. As of September 2026, the EU bans offset-based carbon neutral claims on products.
What does clean label mean?: Clean label has no legal definition. It usually means a short, recognizable ingredient list.