How to Go Green: Wine

It may take a little extra time and work to find a wine that's not synthetically manipulated in any way (man-made fertilizers, pest deterrents, or chemical-laden bottling processes) but more than your taste buds will appreciate the effort. So, whether you choose red or white, make sure your wine is always green. Sample the delicate bouquet of our "How to Go Green: Wine."

Keep reading to learn top tips for greening your wine.

Top Tips for Greening Your Wine

Organic, Biodynamic, Sustainable, etc.: As with almost any acquisition, we can vote with our dollars at the winery. Seeking out organic wines, wines from sustainable wineries, local wines, and biodynamic wines is the easiest way to green our purchase and create a larger market for earth-friendly products.

Check For Animal Products: It's not often you hear the word "vegan" assigned to wines but look closer: Egg whites, egg albumin, casein, chitin, gelatin and isinglass are often used to clear wine by attracting cloudy matter from the mix. Animal-friendly is earth-friendly.

Take Up Boxing: Many companies are taking measures to reduce unnecessary packaging, including variations on the bottle theme. One option is boxing. Box wine (also known as cask wine or bladder pack) is more like a bag-in-a-box, e.g. a plastic bladder protected by a corrugated cardboard box.

Did You Know?

- Sales of organic wine in the US in 2005: $80 million

- It takes 3 years for a vineyard to become certified as organic

- Percent that production costs increase, on average, when a winery becomes organic: 10

For more on Wine Tips check out our guide, How to Go Green: Wine. For more on Going Green, check out the How to Go Green Archives.