REthink Wine Blog

Ah yes, high oil prices, global warming, chemical waste, non-recycled plastics, pollution, pesticides and herbicides…

Amid current environmental impacts affecting our surroundings, there seems to be a lot of buzz about ‘Going Green - Staying Green’, and how it can benefit Mother Earth. Sustainable farming, renewable energy, alternative fuel sources, recycling, organically produced and eco-friendly products - these are all contributing factors toward solutions for “Saving Mother Earth”.

Therefore, with an increase use of harmful pesticides in our environment, it is not surprising to hear that more people are buying organic. The OTA (Organic Trade Association) reported in an online article that in 2002, 39% of the U.S. population uses organic products.

Well, a number of wineries and vineyards are also cognizant of the environmental impacts and are getting back to basics. They are engaging in biodynamic programs and producing organically grown grapes to fill a niche in a growing market of supply and demand for Organic Wines.

 

What is Organic Farming??

Wikipedia’s Definition: Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on crop rotation, green manure, compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and control pests, excluding or strictly limiting the use of synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock feed additives, and genetically modified organisms.

What is Organic Wine??

USDA of a National Organic Program: An organic wine is now defined as “a wine made from organically grown grapes and without any added sulfites”.

 

If you’re interested in tasting or purchasing Organic Wines, listed below are some of our clients who produce such wines:

BARRA (Mendocino) http://www.barraofmendocino.com/barra/index.jsp
BONTERRA VINEYARDS (Ukiah) http://www.bonterra.com/home.html
FETZER VINEYARDS (Hopland) http://www.fetzer.com/fetzer/home.aspx
GIRASOLE VINEYARDS (Redwood Valley) http://www.girasolevineyards.com/girasole/index.jsp
JERIKO ESTATE (Hopland) http://www.jeriko.us/jeriko/page/story.jsp
MEDLOCK AMES (Healdsburg) http://www.medlockames.com/medlock/index.jsp

In addition, why not treat your self to a “Green Wine Country Tour”, check out the following companies - they both use vehicles powered by biodiesel fuel:

Incredible Adventures -
http://www.incadventures.com/trips/wine-tours/san-francisco-wine-tours.php
Sustainable Vine Wine Tours -
http://www.sustainablevine.com/tours.asp

I believe we should all do our part and contribute where we can to help protect our environment. I believe we can all make a difference. Maybe that’s why I drive a hybrid, I recycle, I buy organic - and I’m conscious about what we put into our oceans and our dirt.

Go Green - Stay Green and play your part!

This entry was posted by Kiz Dodds on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 at 7:15 pm and is filed under Wine Industry Trends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.