You probably don’t think of Texas when you ponder which states produce great wine. Beef and BBQ, sure, but not wine. Well, if you ask a gaggle of Texas-based young adults if they’d like to try a bottle of Texas wine, they’d say, “hell yes, and bring me another.”

Believe it or not, Texas is beginning to grow unconventional varietals. And, surprise: Texas is now the fifth largest wine-grape-growing state. In fact, in 2013, “wine and grape production created nearly $2 billion in economic activity for the state,” reports CBS. West Texas has a high altitude, deep sandy soil, and a dry climate, which is optimal for wine production.

Recently, CBS reported on the Texas wine trend. The story featured a few notable wine makers in Texas. One of the wine-grape growers was Neal Newsom, owner of Newsom Farms. According to CBS, Newsom began planting almost 30 years ago. Currently, his West Texas farm is 144 acres. He sells 12 different varieties of grapes, sold to 12 different wineries.

The other wine producing family the CBS story focused on was the McPherson family. The McPherson family has been bottling their wines for over 40 years. Currently, the family is well known for their unique wine varietals, which are popular with Millennials, reports CBS:

“They are not drinking what their parents drink. The mom and dad might be drinking Chardonnay, Cabernet and Merlot. And they really don’t want to drink that. You give them a weird wine like Carignon or Mourvèdre or Cinsault or Viognier, they’re going, ‘Oh, we like that. We love this,’ McPherson said.”

In addition to Texas’ grapes popularity, the vines also take less water than cotton plants.

And speaking of water saving and sustainability: As wine production “booms” in Texas, some vineyards are creating sustainable and organic wines:

Bending Branch Winery: This winery resides near Comfort, Texas. It features “sustainable practices” and has an “organically focused operation.” It sits on 20 acres and carries 16 varietals.

Pedernales Cellars: This estate has quite a few vineyards, but the Kuhlken family runs the Cellars’ Kuhlken Vineyards. Kuhlken Vineyards keeps its operation sustainable by using “ecologically sound agricultural practices that minimize the impact on {the} landscape.” The estate is 17 acres and is in the Texas, Bell Mountain AVA (American Viticultural Area). This estate grows:

– Tempranillo
– Touriga Nacional
– Albarino
– Mourvedre
– Grenache
– Small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot

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Image: John Tornow

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A selection of sparkling, white and rosé wine to keep your summer well hydrated. 

Summer is the time the wine glasses come out in abundance. Warm weather encourages relaxing, and what better way to relax than with a glass of wine – rosé wine perhaps? – in your hand? Yes, this is the season of long dinner parties and entertaining, and you have to keep it well fueled.

We’ve gathered up a few of our favorite bottles for summer, all from wineries that care about their farming and grape growing practices.

1. Montinore Borealis 2013

Situated in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, Montinore is a certified Demeter biodynamic estate, and all their wines are noteworthy, but the Borealis deserves a special mention. The Borealis is a special blend of Muller-Thurgau, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Gris. The result is an aromatic, floral wine, that brings the perfect pop to a summer evening.

2. Frey Organic Agriculturist 2012

While you shouldn’t buy wine for the label, the Frey Organic Agriculturist would be pretty hard to turn down. Fortunately though, the wine inside is also well worth the purchase. The white blend has an ability to pair with a variety of flavors, making it the perfect dinner party wine.

3. Montevina Pinot Grigio 2012

Employing sustainable practices in their vineyards, the Montevina winery has owl boxes to encourage natural removal of pests. That means you can feel good about drinking this Pinot Grigio, which with its aroma of pears and summer peaches, makes for a good basic summer white that will please a crowd.

4. Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2013

Made by renowned vintner Charles Smith, this Riesling pairs well with spicy dishes, like a good Thai curry, as well as grilled seafood. All of the Charles Smith vineyards use recycled water and the most minimal pest and disease controls.

5.Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé 2012

Organic bubbles you want? Organic bubbles you will have. And why not have pink bubbles? At $37 a bottle, this Brut Rosé may be on the pricier end for some, but if you’ve got something to celebrate this summer, it’s a good option, particularly since Domaine Carneros grows their wine grapes on certified organic vineyards.

6. Cline 2013 Mourvèdre Rosé

A black skinned grape, Mourvèdre is a common grape in the French Rhone region as well as Alicante, Spain. In fact, it’s what added to Spanish cava to get cava rosé. But you don’t have to cross the Atlantic to get it. Try a bottle of this rosé wine from Cline Cellars in Sonoma, who employ a variety of sustainable farming practices in their vineyards.

7. Frei Brothers Reserve Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2010

Some can’t go a summer without a glass of Chardonnay. If so, this wine’s for you. You have a bit of apple and citrus flavors, followed by an oaky finish. Frei’s grapes are all sustainably grown, and they even capture and reuse rainwater in their vineyards. 

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Image: Robert S. Donovan

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You look for the organic label on apples and eggs, but what about when it comes to wine? There’s more to a bottle of wine than just bouquet and alcohol content. In fact, when shopping for the best wine, the organic label may be the most important factor.

We don’t usually think about wine in terms of health, because there are so many other aspects to consider when shopping for the best wine. But once you’ve settled on a region and a grape, the next thing to consider is whether or not it’s organic.

In the same way you qualify food choices, it’s worth taking note of how the wine you drink is grown, or rather with what is grown. The grapes can be treated with all sorts of harmful chemicals — to say nothing of the various preservatives, colorants and other additives. So make the best wine choice possible before you pop the cork!

3 Reasons The Best Bottle of Wine Is Organic

1. Organic wine offers many of the same benefits as organic produce. When a wine is organic it omits the use of up to 240 chemicals inherent in convention viticulture and wine production.

2. Organic wine is produced from grapes grown according to organic farming regulations, which excludes the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, among others. This is, of course, better for the environment, which should be of concern when choosing a bottle of wine.

2. Sulfites draw a lot of attention in the debate on what constitutes organic wine. Sulfites are used to preserve even the best wine but also carry their share of antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. While an organic bottle of wine may have naturally occurring sulfites as a byproduct of fermentation – must be less than 20 parts per million — it cannot have added sulfites. A wine that says it is made with organically grown grapes may include added sulfites. If the sulfite content of a bottle of wine exceeds 10 parts per million, the wine must reveal this information.

When searching for the best bottle of wine, whether it’s for a dinner party or housewarming present, be sure to pick a wine that’s labeled “organic,” bears the USDA organic seal and provides information about the certifying agency.

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Photo Credit: Uncalno

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While the growth of organic wine in the market place hasn’t been particularly explosive, it has been steadily increasing its market share since the 1990’s. With overall wine consumption growing in the U.S., buying organic wine makes sense for those of us concerned with supporting organic farming practices.

Some confusion exists over what constitutes organic wine. Technically speaking, few wines qualify for certification according to the high approval standards set by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), which mandate organic wine be free of any sulfites. Sulfites are a naturally occurring compound and almost all winemakers add sulfur dioxide to their wines for consistency and preservation. (For more on sulfites in wine, check out this great Kitchn blog post.) Therefore, generally speaking, organic wine means wine made with “organically grown grapes.”

The question remains, however, is organic wine any good? A few of us at EcoSalon decided to see for ourselves and gathered together to taste a selection of organic red wines. We chose four reasonably priced organic wines that are considered best sellers at Whole Foods. Parducci 2006 Zinfandel, Boneterra 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Vida Organica 2010 Malbec, and Green Truck 2008 Petite Sirah. I’ve summarized our findings below.

Parducci 2006 Zinfandel, Mendocino County, California

Personally, I’m not a huge zinfandel fan. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that this zinfandel did not have the full-blown fruitiness of most zins. This version is mildly plummy and very agreeable. Parducci, “American’s Greenest Winery,” is a family-run winery that prides itself on its sustainable business practices. Retails for $10.99.

Bonterra 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendocino/Lake County, California

This cabernet sauvignon was distinctly peppery. Unexpectedly bright for a cabernet, robust and highly drinkable. Everyone gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up. Bonterra Vineyards has been farming organically since 1987 and makes both organic and biodynamic wines. Retails for $11.99.

Vida Organica 2010 Malbec, Argentina

This Argentinian malbec was a general crowd-pleaser. It is a very mellow, non-offending, soft wine with low tannin. A good everyday wine and complement to lighter fare. Quite a reasonable buy at $8.99.

Green Truck 2008 Petite Sirah Mendocino County, California

Unfortunately, we were not impressed by this Green Truck Petite Sirah. This was the last wine we tried, and you’d think that our standards would gradually decrease by wine number four given the mood-mellowing effects of three earlier wines. Not the case here, I’m sorry to say the words we bantered about to describe this wine included “raw,” “rustic,” “leathery,” and “crude.” Too bad, as the name is such a fun play off the “Red Truck” label often sold at Trader Joe’s. Retails for $10.99.

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You’re planning a dinner party for all your food-savvy urbanite friends. These days, living in the city isn’t stopping you from sourcing your dinner goods locally. Produce from the farmers market. Check. Cheese from a local artisan. Check. A dash of basil and thyme grown in your own kitchen herb garden. Check. Now it’s down to the drinks. A bottle of wine from the winery down the street? Check.

Forget bottling wine in the shadow of romantic rows of grapes, extending endlessly over acres of rural vineyards. If you want to keep up with the foodie underground crowd, your wine better be as urban as you are.

Although the grapes still come from rural areas, vintners that want to keep their lives in an urban environment are increasingly choosing to make their wines smack dab in the middle of cities. The East Bay in California is now home to 21 different wineries (registered under the East Bay Vintner’s Alliance), offering venturous vino lovers the chance to buy their wine directly from wineries without the hassle of travel as well as creating a cheaper way for potential vintners a cheaper chance at breaking into the wine industry. Renting out an urban industrial space close to home can come at a much lower cost than buying a full-on vineyard and committing to a rural move.

Bringing wine-making to the urban environment is nothing new. According to the Wall Street Journal, most of the wine sold in the U.S. before Prohibition in the 1920s was made in warehouses around San Francisco. But the urban revival isn’t just benefiting vintners that prefer sticking to their urban roots, it’s also helping to make the wine-making process more communal. With closer access to wine-making facilities, urban residents have the chance to learn and take part in the whole process, from watching wine being made to even crushing the grapes themselves.

The Brooklyn Winery in Brooklyn, New York, which will be opening this fall, will offer its customers the chance to take part in every element of the wine-making process – like sampling grape varietals and racking your wine when the time comes to separate the wine from the sediment and yeast. The trend isn’t just limited to the coasts, in Cincinnati volunteers can help crush grapes at Henke Winery, which produces about 1,500 cases annually.

Urban wineries are popping up around the country, and the movement is getting a significant following from urbanites buying locally crafted bottles, to even making it themselves. Hip Chicks Do Wine in Portland, Ore. produces 5,000 cases annually and invites customers to come and taste at their urban Southeast Portland location. Those with a hankering for launching into their own urban wine ventures in London can take advantage of The Urban Wine Company, a collective of wine growers all over the city and surrounding areas. That means more locally crafted wines and more people that are taking part in the whole wine-making process and not just consuming it without thinking about where it comes from.

So pop open that bottle and raise your glass to the urban wine revival!

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’s new column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground. Each week, Anna will be taking a look at something new and different that’s taking place in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to culinary avant garde.

Photo Credits: Oncle Tom, USA Today

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Be the host with the most eco savoir faire. Follow our lead and pair organic bubbly with born-again vessels for celebrating the spirit of reusing and recycling. Your green guests will drink to that! Of course, mine will drink to anything.

Cheers to Monaco Champagne Flutes made from the top halves of recycled glass wine bottles. In a stunning cobalt blue, they’re $53 from Green with Glamour. Pair with yummy Domaine Carneros Brut, organic since 2005. Although Brut refers to the dryness of the wine, Brut-style sparkling wine and champagne is also traditionally a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir.

Seeing the world through rosé colored glasses is possible when you pour the 100% biodynamically farmed Fleury Brut Rose, $49, into clear, elegant flutes. The wine is French but the pair of flutes was harvested at a local thrift shop and sandblasted with a koi design by Bread and Badger from Etsy.

Get a groove on with this swirled pair of Swirled Recycled Flutes, $59 from At West End. Fill ’em up for friends with the steal of the season, Makulu Moscato, grown with an emphasis on sustainability in the Paarl Ward region of Wellington at the foot of the Hawekwa mountain range in the Western Cape of South Africa. A great deal for $6 at Ingersoll.

Multi-Color Specks Champagne Flutes, set of six $65 from Bellacor, are made through NOVICA, in association with National Geographic, which gives artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their true artistic talents. The blown glass, skillfully painted by Javier and Efren of Mexico, tickles the senses when  holding Blanquette de Limoux Brut, $20 from the Organic Wine Company, a dry, creamy, full-bodied sparkling wine from certified organic grapes.

Main Image: Cowbite

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A short walking distance (yes people do walk occasionally at their own peril in L.A.) from the Hollywood sign, Mann Chinese Theater and Griffith Park, the Hollywood Pensione is a green boutique lodge housed in a 1915 Craftsman dwelling.

Can Hollywood glamor be paired with good eco ethics? Naturally. They go together like J-Lo and Brad Pitt. Can’t you see that duo cast in a romantic feature? Perhaps Marc and Angelina can visit the set. But if they want to stay here they better book soon. This hotel only has three guest rooms, all with modern green amenities.

Listed in the top 10 of the best L.A. Inns and B&B’s by Resorts and Lodges, each guest room comes with a private bath, a common lounge with a balcony, and a fully-equipped guest kitchen.

Check in and take a nap on the comfy organic mattresses with fluffy wool toppers and fine organic bedding by Anna Sova. The hotel also offers spa-like bath luxuries with state of the art in-room technology like a flat screen TV and cable – so you can watch your favorite HBO and Showtime shows instead of chasing down stars in Beverly Hills.

The hotel boasts air and water purification throughout (a must in smoggy LaLa town) as well as complimentary organic wine, dark chocolate truffles, organic bamboo towels and Zen alarm clocks. You bring the vibe, they provide the rest!

Rates are $165 to $495 depending upon which room you select and when you are staying. Don’t forget to make reservations at the local organic cafes. For a list of some of them, check out L.A. City Search.

Images: Hollywood Pensione

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‘Tis the season…to have cold hands.

I’m convinced mulled wine was invented as a handwarmer in the depths of winter. It first pops up in the history books around 400 CE, although its European medieval name of Hipocris harks back to Hippocrates, the Ancient Greek “father of medicine” – and it’s not hard to imagine Celtic Mead being dangled over the fire for an extra-warming kick. Nowadays, mulled wine is a popular winter drink across much of northern Europe. For example, in Sweden it goes by the splendid name of glögg.

The second-best thing about mulled wine (after drinking it) is that it’s a cinch to make. All you need is a nice full red organic wine, a few spices, a liberal amount of sugar or raw honey, and some heat. It’s as imprecise as that because there is no right or wrong way to mull (spice) your wine. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, hold back on the sugar. If you think Aztec hot chocolate is nowhere near fiery enough, double up on the spices. It’s your special recipe.

A few ingredients to consider:

Cinnamon, Cloves and Ginger (be careful: used liberally, these make for a fierce drink).

Vanilla and Nutmeg.

Citrus peel (orange peel is a personal favourite, but for a sharper, fresher wine, try lemon – or even lime, if you’re very brave).

Sugar or honey.

A set ratio of wine to water – purely personal choice. (I measure 2 parts wine to 1 part water, but then, the British winter can be bitter).

Preparation:

It’s no good putting everything in a pan a few minutes before you serve up. Mulled wine needs to be simmered so the ingredients impart enough flavor to the mix. Give it at least 20 minutes on the brink of boiling (but no further – boiling will evaporate the alcohol, and nobody would want that). Strain the mix, and you’re ready to pour…

Serving:

Serve in wide glasses or mugs – and ideally use earthenware goblets. The reason for this is that drinkers should be standing outside in the cold, holding the drink in gloved hands, enjoying the delicious twin warmths of holding and sipping. You want a cup that can be cupped.

As a final bonus, all the sugar and spices work as natural preservatives – so leftover mulled wine will keep for a rainy day!

Image: *Noema*.

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