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While Earth Day and Arbor Day are celebrated in the spring, when it comes to drinking consciously, that is an everyday endeavor. From sustainable certifications to the backstories of turtles, butterflies and forests, here's our guide to what your readers should drink in honor of Mother Earth. For more information (images and samples), contact account coordinator Alex Parker at parker@bensonmarketing.com
Hahn Family Wines, Sustainable Winegrowing is the Family's Commitment
Pioneers in the Santa Lucia Highlands, celebrating 40 years, Hahn Family Wines is a 100% solar-powered winery. It was also one of the first wineries in the state to have all its estate vineyards certified under the rigorous Sustainability in Practice (SIP) Program, a strict third-party program that sets the gold standard for sustainable certification. From falconry abatement to energy conservation, this independent, family-owned, and operated wine company focuses on growing and producing luxury and ultra-premium wines. Ask us about the newest release: 2019 Hahn SLH Pinot Noir ($30).
Redwood Empire Whiskey, Buy a Bottle; We'll Plant a Tree!
New client Redwood Empire Whiskey is putting their money where their values are. Living and working among the giant redwoods is a constant reminder of what trees do for our planet's environment and climate, so the Sonoma County distillery has partnered with Trees for the Future, an NGO responsible for planting over 189 million trees since 1989. So far, through the partnership, Redwood Empire Whiskey has planted more than 225,000 trees. Try one of Master Distiller Jeff Duckhorn's bottlings, all priced at $44.99: Pipe Dream Bourbon Whiskey, Emerald Giant Rye Whiskey, or Lost Monarch Blend of Straight Whiskies (60% & 40% Bourbon). Or watch for the distillery's first Bottled in Bond bottlings from the spring 2016 distilling season this fall.
Our Daily Wines, the #1-selling USDA Organic-certified wine
For more than 30 years, USDA Organic Certified Our Daily Wines is the trusted source for organic, vegan and gluten free wines with no detectible sulfites. Being USDA Organic means that in addition to using organic grapes, the wines are produced in a certified organic winemaking facility and any ingredient used to make the wine including yeast is certified organic. Fun Fact: Each bottle of Our Daily Wine removes its weight worth of carbon from the air (Source: Our Daily Wine sources 300+ acres of USDA organic vineyards, each acre of USDA Organic farming removes an avg of 7,000lbs of carbon dioxide annually). Try Our Daily Cabernet Sauvignon ($10.99/750ml bottle) or cut down on your own carbon footprint with fewer trips to the store. The Our Daily 1.5L bag-in-box is available at popular wine retailers and stays fresh for up to four weeks! ($17.99).
Chateau Magnol, Practicing Sustainability Thanks to a Turtle
While Barton & Guestier's flagship property in Bordeaux, Chateau Magnol, is known for its commitment to sustainable development and environmental practices – both ISO 14001 certification and an HVE 3 label, some of the most demanding French certifications to hold in the wine industry, it was nothing more than a turtle that set them on this path. In the 1970s, when Barton & Guestier acquired the property, a highway construction project threatened the adjacent marshland, home to a turtle species whose population was also threatened. Eventually, the marsh was set up as a nature reserve and the highway project rejected. Since this victory, Chateau Magnol has not stopped working to protect its environment, so try the Chateau Magnol AOC Haut-Medoc 2016, SRP $29.99, and let's hear it for the turtles!
Veuve du Vernay, Uses Organic Ink and Recycled Paper on its NEW Sparkling Brut Organic NV
Veuve du Vernay, the #1 French sparkling wine brand under $20 in the U.S., channeling classic Parisian lifestyle and joie de vivre, launched Veuve du Vernay Sparkling Organic NV (SRP $18.99), a blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Ugni Blanc vinified with the Charmat Method. The Sparkling Brut Organic was created using organic and sustainable agricultural practices and is certified organic with the NOP3 designation from France, a certification recognized in the U.S. Check out the wine's packaging as the label is made from recycled paper and the writing is done with organic ink.
Biltmore Winery, Celebrating A Legacy of Conservation and Forestry
Biltmore Winery, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina on George Vanderbilt's 8,000-acre estate, strives for environmental stewardship and sustainability in winemaking. When it comes to grapes, nothing goes unused. All remaining parts -the skins, seeds and woody stems are combined with recycled plants and other organic matter at a large compost site, making for a great fertilizer that is used across Biltmore Estate's gardens as well as for field crops that feed wildlife on the estate. Other practices include milkweed plantings to support Monarch butterfly populations on their migration, solar panels on the estate to offset more than 20% of the energy needs, and cooking oil waste collected to recycle into biodiesel to powers vehicles used in the estate's farming and agricultural (and viticulture) practices. But before all that, did you know that a large portion of what is now the Pisgah National Forest can be directly attributed to George Vanderbilt? With Frederick Law Olmstead designing the surrounding grounds, over 300 trees were planted and eventually the Biltmore Forest School was established, the first of its kind. Its pupils would go to be the first generation of American forestry professionals. Check out the Biltmore Reserve North Carolina Chardonnay (SRP $25) made from grapes grown in vineyards on the estate.
Graham Beck, Multi-Faceted Conservation Efforts in South Africa
Graham Beck, one of South Africa's premier producers of Méthode Cap Classique wines, has established pioneering programs to nurture, protect and conserve the precious natural heritage of the Western Cape and Robertson Valley. Among some of the more noteworthy or unusual, a WWF Certification from the World Wildlife Fund, as they continue to protect over 39,000 acres of the unique Cape Floral Kingdom, designated as one of 34 global ecological hotspots and the smallest of only six floral kingdoms on Earth. Pop open the Brut or the Graham Beck Brut Rosé SRP $20 or Graham Beck Blanc Blancs 2015 SRP $30.
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