Why are eco-friendly or organic wines important?

Eco-friendly wines are so important because they are promoting the health and integrity of the land, animals and people that surround it.

The majority of eco-friendly wines take great care to ensure they are not using toxic substances such as fertilizers and pesticides.

They give back vital nutrients instead of leaving the earth depleted of its natural resources.

Eco Friendly/Organic, look at the environmental system as a whole and how to sustain it.  They usually use natural products (organic always does) in the vineyard and integrate IPM (integrated pest management techniques).  In the winery, the use of additives is minimal.

What about sulfites? I think they give me a headache.

I gathered the following info from UC Davis:

All wines contain sulfites.  Yeast naturally produces sulfites during fermentation so there is only a rare wine which contains none.
Sulfites do not cause headaches!!!  There is something in red wine that causes headaches, but the cause has not yet been discovered.  Many people seem to connect their headache with the sulfite warning label, but sorry there is no connection.  To avoid headaches, try drinking less wine, and drink with food.   If you think sulfites are causing your headache, try eating some orange-colored dried apricots, and let me know if that induces a headache.  If not, sulfites are not the likely culprit.  These bright colored dried fruits typically have 2000 mg/kg sulfites, so a two ounce serving (56 gm) should contain about 112 mg sulfites.
Sulfites or sulfur dioxide is a fruit preservative widely used in dried fruits as well as wine.  It is also produced by the human body at the level of about 1000 mg (milligrams) per day.  Consumption of food preserved with sulfites is generally not a problem except for a few people who are deficient in the natural enzyme to break it down. 


Do I really need to spend more than $5 on wine to get quality?

Everyone should stay within their budget of course, but as with anything, you should know what you’re getting.

Buying wine is similar to buying food.  When you pay a little extra and ask questions, you can get something pure, without the over-use of additives.

For me personally, being able to trace where the grapes are grown is important. I like to know what farming and winemaking techniques are being used.

I will spend a couple bucks more to ensure that my wine was produced naturally without the use of too many additives.

I don’t want to ask about wine because I feel like I don’t know enough to describe what I like.  What do you suggest?

Every Saturday from 12-3 Whole Foods Market in Hadley has a variety of wines open to taste from around the globe.  Talk to the wine buyer, taste samples, tell us what you’ve had and you’ve liked so we can make a similar suggestions and give you key descriptors so you can feel more comfortable describing wine in the future.  W e love talking to people about wine!!