Purposeful Wine Choices
If you are like us, you may enjoy a glass (or two!) of wine now-and-then. Our love of wine prompted us to do some research to help us understand what we should know about making purposeful wine selections.
We still have much to learn, but what we have discovered so far is helping us to take a pause in the wine aisle, and to think about what bottle of wine might be a better choice for the plants, animals and people around us.
Here is what we have been considering while we peruse the wine section:
~ Is the wine made with organic grapes (70% of the grapes are organic) or is it a certified organic wine (100% organic grapes, no GMO yeast used, no toxic pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers used)?
~ Is the wine produced by a biodynamic winery (meeting or exceeding organic wine standards while also working to bring their practices more closely in tune with nature and nurturing the ecosystem around them).
~ What sort of efforts is the winery making to lower their carbon footprint, or to practice more sustainable wine production methods?
~ Is the wine locally produced, or produced in an area where air travel isn’t necessary to bring the wine to our local stores?
Here are some amazing wineries we discovered that are making thoughtful environmentally friendly choices!
Summerhill Pyramid Winery is a certified organic and Demeter biodynamic certified winery. Summerhill has been practicing organic farming, and making thoughtful environmentally friendly choices, since the 1980s!
Tantalus Vineyards is British Columbia’s first LEED certified winery – great efforts are made to be efficient with energy and resources (e.g. irrigation) and a holistic approach is taken when working with the wineries’ surrounding ecosystem.
Tinhorn Creek is Canada’s first carbon-neutral winery…here the trucks and tractors run on biodiesel and organics from the winery.
Burrowing Owl – All tasting room fees are donated to the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of B.C. (for their captive release program for burrowing owls) and the South Okanagan Rehabilitation Centre for Owls. Burrowing Owl practices a variety of techniques that incorporates an organic approach that includes an awareness and thoughtfulness for the snakes, birds, animals and insects in the vineyard.
Blue Grouse — Their philosophy says it all: The Blue Grouse Estate Winery’s philosophy evolves from the concept of “stewardship”, where our aim is to make everything we touch better when we leave it, than it was when we found it. Their main focus is sustainability on the grounds and in their tasting room.
