Sustainable White

I don't know enough about wine to talk in depth about subtle notes, aging, types of grapes, and regions, but I do know enough (and try enough of them) to know when I like something-or don't.

After I bought my first bottle of sustainable wine, I did a little poking around on the internet about organic wine. My conclusion is this: to meet the rigorous standards of a "certified organic" label there are many factors to adhere to. While a winery may be in accordance with most of these, the nature/process of making wine may break a few strict organic laws. While some wines may indeed be certified organic the missing process that has been excluded results in a less favorable wine. However, there are wineries that are sustainable and green and not organic. They produce their own energy, do not use pesticides, rotate their crops, etc. just like an organic farm would. In fact you can find some wines that will say they are made with organic grapes-only then they are processed into wine which is an inorganic process by nature (by the addition of sulfites or some such thing-I'm not a vintner but that's the gist of it). My conclusion is, that wines that are made from organic grapes, or produced from sustainable farms are in my mind green. And so, I will do my best to seek these wines out and do the hard work of tasting them for you! You can thank me later.

Back to Sustainable White. First of all, what a bargain at $9.99 a bottle! This was the first sustainable thing I bought that was less expensive than the item I would normally buy (which would be a bottle of wine usually $15-$20 on sale for $10-$14). It is produced in California and the label describes as the winery as "Locally owned and operated, grapes from family farms, sustainable farming practices, 100% green power, earth-friendly packaging, and 1st carbon neutral winery." After searching the shelves for about 10min-and I'm usually finished in 2min-I was sold. It doesn't say organic, but I'm OK with that. They're doing something right. Alright! I can hear you screaming, "Is it any good?" The truth? It is crisp, clean, light, fruity (dare I say notes of green apple and peach) with just the right tinge of acidity but yet enough sweet twinklings to keep you interested without really realizing it's there. Yes it's good! I'll buy it again! Maybe tomorrow night with some sushi! I really wanted to like this affordable, sustainable wine but thought there would be some catch. But you know what? I genuinely do like it. So far, so good.

Daily Green 3/31/10

Today I was green because I:

1) avoided receiving 4 plastic bags with my reusable bags.
2) walked home from work (including a Bonus 20 minutes of beautiful day-ness).
3) chose organic apples, instead of the other kind, even though they cost $.40 more/lb-AND did NOT put them in their own little plastic produce bag (which I usually always do).
4) chose organic milk, which is normally $2/ga more, but Superfresh had one brand on sale for only $1/ga more-Score!
5) did NOT buy eggs because they were out of the organic kind and only had some "vegetarian-feed" brands that I wasn't too sure about.
6) found a sustainable white wine (called "Sustainable White") at the liquor store and it was only $9.99! I'll let you know how it is.

While it doesn't seem like I changed the world today, it took a lot of thought on my part to choose the organic items because I never thought it necessary before. I also never saw the point in spending more money for what seemed like the same product. To elaborate on point 3, I had actually picked out an apple and a pear (that smelled really good) until I found the tiny organic section, which I wasn't even sure they had at Superfresh. I was about to ignore it since I had already picked out my fruit, but instead I picked out two organic apples and then walked back around and put the other ones back. It may not seem like a big deal, but normally I would just be lazy and figure that I would get the organic ones next time. It also took me awhile to distinguish between the organic and non-organic eggs. A lot of them claim "cage-free" or "locally produced"-still two states over- or "vegetarian" which are steps in the right direction, but I figured I'd wait for the real deal. It was also difficult to find anything remotely green in the liquor store. I was about to just get any-old-thing when I spotted the sustainable wine. This is going to be a lot of work, and patience, in my normally hurried routine. Sigh.

The Importance of Buying Local

By now we've all heard the phrase "buy fresh, buy local." Why is this so important? What good does this practice do for the environment? Purchasing ingredients that are produced closer to the place where they are sold cuts back on pollution by cutting out extensive shipping. For example, it takes a lot of gas to drive strawberries from California to the east coast. Furthermore, the food is fresher when it is grown and sold locally because it is picked at its peak and sold quickly. Produce that needs to be shipped cross-country must be picked before it is fully ripe in order to prevent spoilage during shipping. By the time the consumer buys it, it has less flavor because it was not allowed to ripen naturally. Also, by purchasing locally grown ingredients you can support your local farmers. By keeping them in business we can keep our green space longer, and hopefully have healthy food around for many generations.


What does this mean for me? Most importantly, I shop at farmers markets as much as possible. To be honest this is a treat for me. There's nothing I love more than going to a local market (wherever I am in the world) to scope out local ingredients and specialties. I love to see whats in season and what is regional. It's such a fun challenge to just go to the market, see what looks good, and plan a menu based on what I find. Try it! Don't go to the market with a shopping list. Use your senses, buy what looks, smells, and feels good (chances are it also tastes good), and go from there. You'll be surprised at the results, because starting with better, fresher ingredients yeilds tastier results.


Since I already support local markets as much as possible, I think I need to go one step further. Maybe trying to grow some of my own ingredients? I have a sunless back patio, which would make things difficult. Another option is enrolling in a local food co-op or public garden. I have heard a lot of good things about these projects, so maybe it is finally time to get involved.

What does "green" mean?

Going green is very fashionable these days. Everyone and every company seems to be on board. Nearly every product comes in a version with a "green" or an "eco-friendly" label, although it probably costs twice as much. But what does the phrase "going green" really mean? For example, if someone were to ask me, "So you're going green, what are you changing about yourself?" I'm not sure that I would have a good concrete answer. I'd probably just mumble something under my breath and then try to change the subject and look like a fake. Well, if I'm going to do this, I need to know what I'm talking about. I found a good definition of the term on the website www.wecanlivegreen.com which defines going green as "The social phenomenon describing individuals who use their consumer voice to increase sustainability and decrease their impact on the environment." This means that in order to go green, not only do I have to choose sustainable over unsustainable, and leave as little an imprint on the environment as possible, but also to make an impact through my decision making towards a greener world. Actually, that's a nice way to remember what going green means-decisions that will lead towards a greener world.

I like to consider myself an environmentally friendly inhabitant of the earth, but the truth is, I know that I could do more. I use a travel mug for my morning coffee at work, instead of the styrofoam cups they provide. I carry a reusable bag with me at all times in my purse. I turn off lights, faucets, and heating and air conditioning as much as possible. I try to use reusable containers to reduce waste. I recycle. Even though these are big decisions that affect my daily life, this is a short list.

It has come to my attention recently that the way we eat has a big effect on the environment. Bad farming habits, the shipping of food, the raising of animals for slaughter all take their toll on the environment. We are slowly polluting our world simply by the decisions we make at the grocery store. I have never been an organic advocate because I honestly never saw the benefit of paying more for food that I could find at a much cheaper price point. While we're on the subject, what does it mean when something is organic? The USDA defines organic food as "produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation." To be honest, if I had my way I don't really want to eat food containing antibiotics, growth hormones, sewage, or radiation. I would also like to support individuals who are taking the time to do things the right way, by taking the environment into consideration in their business practices. So I will try, from now on, when economically possible to go organic.

Of course, all of this is easier said than done because truthfully, there are many things out there that I enjoy that are not green or organic. I love all foods (spicy, garlicky, meaty, packaged, sugary, fatty, fast, health conscious, vegan...) and giving some of these up will be no easy task. Making the choice not to support some of the things I love, that are committing harmful acts towards the environment, will be a major sacrifice of wants, desires, and my wallet. But I can try, and I hope that you will too. Maybe with all of us taking little steps, we can really help the world be a little greener.