California wines made from certified organic or biodynamic grapes taste better than wines made from conventionally farmed grapes, according to a major academic study published today.

"Most people that are mocking organic or biodynamic, now we can say, oh, they're better, and we can prove it," Grgich Hillsvice president of vineyards and production Ivo Jeramaz told Wine-Searcher.

To be exact, the study shows that ratings in three major publications – Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast – are four points higher on average for eco-certified wines compared to control group wines from the same regions and same vintages.

Four points on average is a huge difference: bigger than the standard deviation in two of the three publications. In less mathematical terms, it's like saying the eco-certified wines were an entire grade higher.

So it will be interesting to see how the mainstream press and the public picks up on the study, which is titled: "Does Organic Wine Taste Better? An Analysis of Experts' Ratings."

"Consumers have still a negative view of organic wines," Magali Delmas, one of three co-authors of the study, told Wine-Searcher. "The experts and the winemakers have a different opinion. It's nice to be able to show that."

The study analyzed a huge number of ratings of California wines: 74,000 total over the vintages between 1998 and 2009. Eco-certified wines were a tiny minority: just 1.1 percent of the total, because less than 2 percent of California's vineyards are certified organic or biodynamic, according to the study.