How Green Can Wine Get?
This April 22nd we celebrate Earth Day and during this worldwide occasion, while keeping our environment in mind, why not "go green" than with some vino too? So when you're hitting the lights for "Earth Hour," make sure you're not too far away from your favorite bottle. How "green" can wine get you ask? Well, the experts of Drync — a top wine app that lets you scan and buy wine instantly — are breaking it all down.
It isn't always clear what philosophy you have bought into when you purchase an organic wine. And what about sustainable and biodynamic? What do these terms mean? With all the varied regulations worldwide and different levels of "earth-friendliness," it can be confusing to know how green your wine is... light green? Deep, forest green? And then there is the, "does it even matter" debate.
In a Drync user survey, 75 percent of people said they feel good when they see "organic" on the label, but don't seek it out.
The jury is still out on whether earth-friendly practices yield better wine. It is certainly possible to make both good and bad wine with organic grapes. However, the trend towards earth-friendly wines is undeniable and by all means a very good thing. Here is a quick guide to what's what when it comes to "drinking green:"
Sustainable wine is the pragmatic approach to being "green." Wine is made in a manner that minimizes its impact on the environment, but maintains the right to use both manmade and natural treatments to control pests, as necessary.
Drync's Sustainable Wine Suggestions:
2011 Casa Lapostolle Cabernet Sauvignon Rappel Valley
Organic winemakers need to jump through quite a few more hoops for certification. Vineyards are managed without the use of systemic fungicides, insecticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. Regulations for organic certification vary in every country, but essentially any sprays or treatments must comply with that area's organic guidelines.
Drync's Organic Wine Suggestions:
2012 Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie
2011 A. et P. de Villaine Aligoté Bouzeron
2010 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Biodynamic is intense, man. It is a holistic approach focusing on the balance between the soil, vines, plants, animals, and the cosmos, all the while requiring an insane attention to detail. The only treatments allowed are the slew of required hand-made compost preparations, such as manure buried in cow horns over the winter, yarrow flowers wrapped in stag's bladder, and animal skulls filled with oak bark.
Drync's Biodynamic Wine Suggestions:
2012 Zind-Humbrecht Gewürztraminer Alsace
2013 Montinore Estate Pinot Noir Estate Willamette Valley
For more information on "drinking green" this Earth Day, visit the Drync Blog. Be sure to download the app to check out Drync's Earth Day Wine List!
By Aimee Cronin of Drync