Sustainable boozing: the greening of the grapes

July 3, 9:58 AMPhiladelphia Eco-Living ExaminerPaige Wolf

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Besides tossing your beer bottles in the blue bin, there are actually more ways to drink sustainably. Several wine and liquor companies are touting their eco-virtues, from sustainable grape farming to recycled glass bottles.

Hand-crafted in small batches, LOFT is a small, artisanal liqueur produced at a certified organic distillery in Portland, Oregon, utilizing flavorful organic fruits and botanicals. Flavors include lavender, lemongrass, spicy ginger, tangerine, blueberry, and raspberry. All ingredients in LOFT are grown without chemicals, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, radiation, or bioengineering, and when possible, are sourced from local farms with a like-minded commitment to sound agricultural practices.
LOFT’s standards are also upheld in their packaging, which includes biodegradable ink, bamboo paper and boxes made from recycled material. LOFT Organic Liqueurs are available for $29.99. 

360 Vodka showcases environmental responsibility by using bottles made from 85 percent recycled glass and labels made from 100 percent post consumer paper with special water based inks. Even the swing?top closure comes with a pre?paid envelope so consumers can return it for reuse and have $1 donated to a local environmental organization. By selecting grains grown less than 95 miles from the distillery, 360 Vodka also reduces fossil fuel consumption in transporting raw materials to the distillery. The bottle showcases a regularly updated eco?audit that lists the benefits to the environment including the number of trees, energy, solid waste, water and greenhouse gasses that were saved at the time the label was printed. 360 Organic is distributed through Southern Wine & Spirits of PA.

Bonterra , which literally means "good earth," is the world’s leading producer of wines made from organic grapes. Bonterra uses a holistic approach to grape growing including beneficial insects (attracting good bugs to eat the bad bugs) and biodiversity (planting other crops around the grapes like lavender and placing bird boxes throughout the vineyard to attract swallows). Bonterra, made in Mendocino, California, is available in local wine and spirits shops and ranges from $13.99 - $17.99 a bottle.
 

Fetzer, another Mendocino grown wine, has been promoting sustainable farming for more than 20 years through energy conservation, carbon emission reduction, natural pest control, waste reduction, water conservation, and recycled materials packaging. In fact, Fetzer's winery boasts the largest solar panel in the industry and purchases 100 percent green energy. The bottle is made with lightweight glass and at a $7.99 price point Fetzer is also friendly on your wallet.

Bringing the glamour back to boxed wine, Yellow+Blue Wines ,based in Chester Springs, PA, is a fine wine made with organically grown grapes that happens to come in a “box.” Yellow+Blue embraces the box (or “Tetra Pak”) as a better, more efficient way to package, ship and enjoy fine wine . In fact, the carbon footprint of Yellow+Blue wine shipped in Tetra Paks is 54% of what it would be if it were shipped in glass.