Lately we have been pondering some ways we could ‘go green’.  We can ride our bikes to work, change to fluorescent light bulbs, plant a tree, or drink green wine.  And no, we don’t mean adding a splash of food coloring to your glass of Sauvignon Blanc. We are talking about eco-friendly wines.  So are you ready to go green with us?

In order for you tree huggers to start drinking green,  let us first help you establish the difference between organic, natural, and biodynamic wines.

Organic - Let’s get one thing straight, organic wine is different from wine ‘made with organically grown grapes’.  Organic wines are made with organic grapes and go along with all organic farming practices, like avoiding use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers. Organic wines cannot add sulfites while wine ‘made from organically grown grapes’ permits adding sulfites 100 ppm. (parts per million)

Natural – It is made as nature intended.  Meaning not only do they use organically grown grapes, but there is minimal intervention in the winemaking process.  With no added sugars or yeast, as well as minimal filtration and little to no added sulfites.  Natural wine is a newer technique and slightly more confusing since there is no certified body established.

Biodynamic – Biodynamic farming goes one step further than organic by trying to be in tune with nature.  To keep in tune, they watch the stars and planets to time what they do and/or make their own compost.  Biodynamic vineyards are treated as a self-sustaining organism.

So go ahead pick a green wine and celebrate by sipping back on some eco-friendly vino. But only after you plant a tree, pick up trash, and change to energy saving light bulbs of course!