Sipping Consciously:
What Is Ethical Organic Wine?

As a beverage with both social and health benefits, wine is a favorite of the masses for both celebration and relaxation. Sustainable wine is easily the most eco friendly way to consume your favorite vino. This list of 4 leading ethical wineries will have you excited to visit and enjoy a glass of your favorite organic wine.  

Ethical organic wine making includes wines that are sustainable, biodynamic, affordable, and produced with fairtrade labor. Organic wine is made without harming the environment, and the sustainability comes from the farmers taking care to not cause any negative environmental impacts. This is usually done by using plow horses, eco conscious tractors, and banning fertilizers. 

Why should you drink ethical organic wine? Wine made by impacting the environment with fertilizers, harsh chemicals or terrible working conditions is not sustainable wine. Did you know that the carbon footprint of an average bottle of wine is around 1.28kg of Co2?This is equivalent to driving 3 miles in a car. 

When buying organic wine ask yourself, is it fairtrade? Is it local? Is it organic? If the answer to those questions is yes, then you’ve found ethical wine. Organic wine  is gaining popularity and these are just a few examples of sustainable winery options that are prospering today. 

Barone Pizzini – Lombardy, Italy 

At this sustainable winery you’ll discover two decades worth of organic and sustainable practices. The motto at Barone Pizzini has always been elegance, efficiency, and low environmental impact. They have 29 vineyards where the use of simple methods of non-chemical processing and no fertilizers produces flavorful organic wine. Solar panels used in the cellars are another of the sustainable practices of Barone Pizzini. This is a great vineyard to visit if you enjoy beautiful scenery and flavorsome wines. 

Wildekrans Wine Estate – Botrivier, South Africa 

South Africa is leading the charge to make more ethical wine, and Wildekrans is known for both its breathtaking setting and environmental efforts. This sustainable wine estate prides itself on wine and soil treatment, by producing low yielding crops of fruit-forward wines. They are committed to making a positive impact on the environment and uplifting the community, all while practicing sustainable farming methods. Wildekrans has won awards for their environmental farming practices and use of no harsh chemicals, as well as belonging to organizations such as Sustainable Wine South Africa. Try organic wine offerings such as Shiraz or the Pinotage. That’s not all, enjoy hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding during your stay at the estate. 

Château Val Joanis – Provence, France

This boutique sustainable winery in picturesque Provence, France operates a 100% organic vineyard. Although the annual output may be small, their organic grapes, organic on-site vegetables and herb garden produce some of the best organic wine in the region. They also take care not to use any chemicals or fertilizers in their production methods. Try Château Val Joanis exceptional Grenache, Syrah, or Roussannes. 

Ehlers Estate – Saint Helena, California, USA

Ehler Estate is a charming 42 acre sustainable winery in California’s Napa Valley. Sustainable practices are used in nearly every aspect of operations here. The vineyard produces 100% organic wine, and takes a holistic approach to farming, from the chicken coop, to the greenhouse, and everything in between. They adhere to the strict standards of organic farming as they are certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers. Ehlers Estate only uses earth friendly organic farming methods, and never uses chemicals or fertilizers. Making this sustainable winery a great place to visit for a relaxing organic wine escape. 

These are just a few of the world’s leading organic wine producers. From New Zealand to New York and everywhere in between, sustainable wine production with the goal of ecological preservation is becoming the norm. Looking for a way to help to support ethical wine production? Visit a sustainable winery to learn more about the ethical production of organic wine or choose an ethical wine when you enjoy a glass at home. 

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