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In terms of New World wines, California is usually the most cited wine region with Chile coming in a close second. Oenophiles, however, would be remiss to ignore the many wines coming out of the Williamete Valley, the fertile wine-growing region just outside of Portland, Oregon. The area is especially progressive when it comes to organic wines. Recently the Oregon Wine Board decided to help out consumers confused by vague labels and claims of sustainability by officially certifying wines with the Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine (OCSW) label.
The label is only available to wines chosen with agricultural and wine-making processes deemed sustainable by an independent third party, which include LIVE (Low Input Viniculture and Enology), USDA Organic, Demeter Biodynamic and Food Alliance. Although every wine is deemed sustainable, you might still want to do some research on what standards each winery holds itself too, as the term sustainable can mean everything from organic to biodynamic to salmon-safe.
At a recent tasting of Oregon certified sustainable wines at Frankies Spuntino in Brooklyn, NY, I fell in love with the Mineral Springs Pinot Noir from Soter Vineyards, run by Tony Soter, an Oregon winemaker who started his own company in 1998. Don't drink it because it's good for the Earth; drink it because it's a superb wine, full-bodied with hints of blackberry and cherry and a little bit of spice. It's not exactly cheap—it currently sells for $45—but it's well worth the money.
One of the most responsible wineries in Oregon is Stoller Vineyards. The first gold LEED Gold-certified winery in the United States produces a great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The winery uses gravity-flow winemaking techniques, energy-efficient heating and cooling, and wastewater reclamation to make sure it has as little impact on the environment as possible.
You can keep up on which Oregon wines are sustainable by checking out the Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine website, which has a list of certified wines, plus links to the organization's Facebook and Twitter pages. It's just as important to think of the impact of the chemicals and run-off associated with your wine as it is to think of the environmental impact of the food you put on your plate. Luckily, the Oregon Wine Board is taking a lot of the guesswork out of making responsible choices.
