It’s truly amazing to see how far “sustainability” has come since the 1960s, when a group of people my parents labeled “hippies” first brought widespread attention to the concept.
Today, we take recycling for granted, both when preparing our trash for pick-up and in many of the restaurants we frequent. In countless businesses, “going green” has become a mantra, sometimes motivated by law, but in most cases by a sense of wanting to do the right thing for Mother Earth.
The wine industry — and despite the romance we associate with wine, let’s not forget it is an industry — has done a remarkably good job in this area. Not only are individual wineries embracing earth-friendly practices in their cellars, but they’re extending those practices to their vineyards.
In fact, in terms of meaningful scientific advancements over the past two decades, a vast majority have taken place in the vineyard.
Part of the science revolves around matching the proper varietal clone to the right vineyard site. Part of it involves making sure each grapevine receives the right amount of nourishing sunshine it needs to produce perfectly ripened grapes.
But most of it has to do with embracing age-old farming methods that enable weeds and pests to be controlled sans pesticides, and the soil to be enriched by recycling the natural byproducts of winemaking.
The Earth-Friendly Wine Club was founded to shine the spotlight on wineries and vintners who take their environmental responsibility seriously.
It also was founded to give wine lovers who embrace “green” practices in everything they do an opportunity to support like-minded people.
