USDA Organic records
Organic vineyard and winery records for your USDA inspection
Organic certification software keeps the records a USDA organic inspector reviews — every input applied to every block, the organic status of every harvest pick, what went into each lot and where it ended up — so the annual inspection is an export, not a weekend of reconstruction. GrapeFlow does this for wineries up to about 20,000 cases: inputs logged by block with their NOP status, a stop before a prohibited one reaches an organic block, the organic claim checked lot by lot, supplier certificates with expiry alerts, and the annual inspection package with its mass balance.
- 30-day free trial
- No credit card
- No per-seat pricing
What GrapeFlow keeps for an organic winery
The National Organic Program asks a certified operation to keep records that are “readily understood and audited”, traceable back to the last certified operation, for at least five years (7 CFR 205.103). These are the ones a winery that grows or buys organic grapes keeps in GrapeFlow:
Every input, by block, with its NOP status
Sprays, fertilizers and amendments logged by block with rate per acre, EPA number, REI and PHI. Each input carries the National List status and the OMRI or WSDA listing you set in your input catalog — GrapeFlow ships no preloaded list, so the classification stays yours and your certifier’s.
A stop before a prohibited input
Pick an input marked prohibited for a USDA Organic or transitional block and GrapeFlow stops the record and names the blocks. If you go ahead, it stamps the date and restarts the block’s 36 months (205.202(b)) — the history shows exactly why.
The organic claim, checked lot by lot
“Organic” or “Made with organic grapes”: GrapeFlow checks that every grape in the lot’s composition was certified, that no sulfites (or potassium metabisulfite) went in where the claim forbids them, and the total SO₂ against 10 and 100 ppm. Conventional grapes entering the lot withdraw the claim.
Supplier certificates, with a 60-day warning
Certificate number, certifier, expiry and a link to the document for every grower you buy from. Purchased grapes only count as organic if the certificate was valid on the reception date, and you are warned 60 days before one expires.
Blocks, buffers and the 36-month clock
Each block’s production mode, certificate, last prohibited substance and the date its grapes become organic-eligible again, plus the buffer zone description and area (205.202(c)).
The annual inspection package
Blocks, applications, field operations, receptions, lots, additions, bottlings and cleanings for the year, with the mass balance — organic grapes in, wine with a claim, bottles out. One CSV per section or one file for everything.
Records are kept five years. An application can’t be deleted, and an edit asks for a reason and keeps the previous version — the audit trail an inspector expects.
What the inspector asks for, and where it is in GrapeFlow
Every certifier has its own forms, and your Organic System Plan (205.201) describes how you work. The records behind it are much the same everywhere:
| The inspector asks for | The rule | Where it is in GrapeFlow |
|---|---|---|
| Field history: no prohibited substance on organic blocks in the last three years | 205.202(b) | Vineyard → block: last prohibited substance and organic-eligible date |
| Buffer zones next to conventional neighbors | 205.202(c) | Vineyard → block: buffer zone description and area |
| Every material applied — what, where, when, how much | 205.103, 205.206 | Spray Log: applications by block, with rate per acre and NOP status |
| The practices your plan describes: cover crops, mowing, cultivation, beneficial releases | 205.203, 205.206 | Field operations: each one by block and date |
| Proof each input is allowed (National List, OMRI/WSDA listing or certifier approval) | 205.601, 205.602 | Spray Log → Input catalog: NOP status, reference and listing you record |
| Harvest records by block, and organic status of purchased grapes | 205.103 | Harvest receptions, each stamped organic, transitional or not organic |
| Certificates of the growers you buy from | 205.201(a)(3) (SOE) | USDA Organic → Certificates: number, certifier, expiry, document |
| What was added to organic wine, and that it was allowed | 205.605, 205.606 | Lot → organic panel: additions checked against the claim |
| Label claim and sulfites | 205.301, 205.605(b) | Lot → organic panel: highest claim possible, SO₂ against 10 / 100 ppm |
| Sanitation that can’t contaminate organic wine | 205.272 | Cleaning records: sanitizer, National List, rinse |
| Mass balance and audit trail: grapes in, wine and bottles out | 205.103(b)(2) | USDA Organic → Annual inspection: mass balance + CSV |
| Records kept at least five years | 205.103(b)(4) | Applications can’t be deleted; corrections are journalled |
GrapeFlow does not write your Organic System Plan or replace your certifier, and its export has not yet been validated by a certifying agent: use it as the source your inspector reads, in the format they ask for.
From season to inspection, without a reconstruction weekend
Set up your blocks and inputs once. Production mode and certificate per block; NOP status and listing per input; certificates for the growers you buy from.
Log as you go. Applications from the vineyard, receptions at the crush pad, additions and bottlings in the cellar. Each record carries its organic status.
Let the checks run. A prohibited input, an expiring certificate or an addition the lot’s claim forbids is flagged when it happens, not at inspection.
Export the year. Generate the annual package, check the mass balance, send the CSV.
One price, everything included
$99/month, or $990/year. Vineyard and winery records, and the US compliance set, are all included. No per-seat pricing. 30-day free trial, no credit card.
Start your 30-day free trialFrequently asked questions
What records does a USDA organic inspection ask a winery for?
Records of every input applied to organic land, field history showing no prohibited substance in the three years before harvest, buffer zones, harvest and purchase records with suppliers’ certificates, what was added to organic wine, sanitation, and an audit trail that balances grapes in against wine and bottles out. They must be kept at least five years (7 CFR 205.103).
Does GrapeFlow check my inputs against the OMRI list?
No. GrapeFlow ships no preloaded input list. You record each input’s National List status and its OMRI or WSDA listing once, in your input catalog, and GrapeFlow uses that status to stop a prohibited input on an organic block.
What happens if a prohibited input goes on an organic block?
GrapeFlow stops the record and names the organic or transitional blocks affected. If you confirm it, the block’s last prohibited substance date is stamped and its 36-month clock (205.202(b)) restarts, so grapes from that block stop counting as organic.
Can GrapeFlow tell me whether a wine can be labeled “organic” or “made with organic grapes”?
It checks the lot against both claims: every grape certified, no sulfites added for “organic” and no potassium metabisulfite for “made with organic grapes”, and the latest total SO₂ against 10 and 100 ppm. Your certifier still approves the label.
Is the inspection export accepted by certifiers?
It is a set of CSV files with the records an inspection reviews and the mass balance. It has not yet been validated by a certifying agent, so confirm with yours which format they want; the records behind it are the same.
Does it work for wineries that buy organic grapes?
Yes. Each purchased reception is stamped organic only if the grower’s certificate is on file and valid on that date, and GrapeFlow warns 60 days before a supplier certificate expires.
How much does GrapeFlow cost?
$99/month or $990/year, with every module included and no per-seat pricing. There is a 30-day free trial and no credit card is required.