The Green Wine Guide

Snapshot on New Zealand: A Day in the Vineyards

By LIZ LEWIS I’m not a bad photographer. But I’m not a great one either. So when the opportunity arose to take part in a photographic workshop focusing on vineyards and wineries, I jumped at the chance. Living in the heart of a wine region, it’s easy to just hop into the car and head out for a spot of wine tasting or lunch at one of the many wineries surrounding my hometown of Christchurch. But to actually get a chance to wander among the vines and watch the wine being bottled was a novelty. And to learn how to take better ...

Working New Zealand Wineries.

by LIZ LEWIS Clean. Green. Extreme. That’s how New Zealand is often summed up by those who have visited. With it’s breathtaking scenery, adrenalin pumping activities, and easy access to both sea and mountains, New Zealand is the ideal travel destination. It is also home to a thriving wine making industry that is always on the look out for seasonal workers. So if you’re in the mood for a working vacation in one of the world’s most scenic locations, then head for New Zealand. New Zealand’s clean-green image is maintained by the wine industry through it’s sustainable winegrowing initiative. A framework of industry ...

The Green Movement: Organic, Biodynamic, and Sustainable Viticulture…too often it’s about bragging rights

by JOHN K SOSNOWY from Wine Peeps Having spent over thirty years of my adult life intimately involved in agriculture, I understand from hands-on experience that the vineyard should not be a chemical plant. Good soil should not be over-fertilized, and vines should not be bombarded with fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides. I also believe that the smaller the carbon footprint the better all the way through the process until the consumer gets the bottle of wine home to drink. By the same token, I see a disturbing trend where the Green Movement is used primarily as a marketing tool, implying falsely, I ...

Biodynamic Wines and Holiday Meals: Balance for Your Palate and Planet

by JACQUELINE CHURCH from Carrie&Danielle Picking wines for the next holiday meal? Consider Biodynamic and organic wines. No compromises necessary. What are Biodynamic Wines? Rudolph Steiner (founder of Waldorf Schools) began Biodynamic agriculture in 1928 in Europe. Today, Biodynamic viticulture continues to treat the entire farm as an organism seeking balance. Harmony with nature, seasons, pests, organic pest control, even lunar cycles, are all taken into account by producers following the tenets of biodynamic farming. Underlying the methods is the belief that the earth, if cared for properly, will be self-healing, but needs our stewardship to achieve that state. Biodynamic agriculture is based ...

Solving The Carbon Footprint Crisis While Keeping The Booze Flowing

by PHILIP WHITE from drinkster Bacchus only knows just how far The Wine Supply Chain Council is willing to go to ensure wine drinkers make less of a mess of the global environment, but they’re having another talkfest in Melbourne next week. The shocking condition of Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin, with the cruel extant fact of the death of its estuary, is partly the work of Australian wine drinkers determinedly demanding cheap squirt; partly the work of the thirsty who buy from the humungous booze mongers of Britain and the USA. It is certainly partly the work of some of the winemakers of Clare ...

Oregon Wineries Taking the Carbon Neutral Challenge.

by LIZ LEWIS Oregon wineries are aiming to go carbon neutral. The Oregon Environmental Council and the Oregon Wine Board have teamed up to develop an initiative to help the wineries reduce and even, hopefully, eliminate their carbon footprints. Many of Oregon's wineries are already utilizing sustainable agricultural practices into their operation, but recognizing that climate change is going to end up having a significant impact on their ability to grow grapes and produce quality wines, they are hoping to do more. So far, thirty wineries have joined the Carbon Neutral Challenge Initiative - Abacela, Amity Vineyard, Anne Amie Vineyards, Archery Summit Wines, Argyle, AtoZ/Rex Hill, Basket Case Wine, ...

Latest Green Wine News

Waitrose’s ‘Virtue’ Shipped in Eco-Friendly Tanks

British supermarket chain Waitrose is introducing a new wine brand, Virtue, that’s making waves in the wine world and it has nothing to do with taste or quality. Rather, it’s the method of launching... Read more

Talking Green at Wineries Unlimited 2009.

Wineries Unlimited 2009 (March 10th – 13th at Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA) will be talking green this year with Ed Boyce from Maryland winery Black Ankle Vineyards speaking... Read more

Al Gore Urges Global Wine Industry to Go Green.

Al Gore addressed the World Congress of Climate Change & Wine in Barcelona, Spain by video last February. Speaking to an audience of over 350 winemakers, scientists, growers and industry executives... Read more

South African Wine Industry Praised for Conservation Efforts.

The South African wine industry has set aside 104 000 hectares of Cape Floral Kingdom land for long-term conservation. That’s greater than the amount of land used in the nation for growing grapes... Read more