Each year an increasing number of wineries are discovering that sustainability practices not only protect natural resources, they produce better wines. Yes, green wine is good wine.
To achieve Sustainability In Practice (SIP) Certification, winemakers must meet a number of rigorous standards regarding soil & water conservation, water quality, air quality, fruit quality, safe pest management, energy efficiency and social responsibility, just to name a few. Wine makers achieving certification are allowed to use the SIP Certified seal in their marketing.
While I don’t pretend to know the actual long term benefits to the planet from these sustainability practices, I do know that I’ve never had a bottle of SIP certified wine that I didn’t enjoy.
Most recently I sampled a wine from Tolosa Winery in California’s Edna Valley, a 2008 No-Oak Chardonnay. Aged in steel (as opposed to oak barrels), this chard has a nice crisp acidity that I normally like to pair with seafood or spicy chicken dishes. It’s definitely worth the $16-$20 that you’ll pay for a bottle.
I used to only like the oaky/buttery chardonnays. They were the only wine I found that that paired well with popcorn:) But unoaked chards are growing on me and I can see why they are growing in popularity as the oak doesn’t mask the other flavors. If you haven’t tried a no-oak chardonnay, I recommend you give one a try – preferably one that’s SIP Certified. You can follow SIP Certified Wines on twitter.
Cheers Y’all!