A Few Quick Picks for Green Summer Drinks

I've found a few new worthwhile sustainable drinks this summer and thought I'd offer up a quick list of recommendations (note - I've already covered Peak Organic Brewing so it's not listed here, but I'm a big fan of all their offerings):

Bison Brewing Organic Belgian Ale. I found this oversized bottle while in Florida recently to visit The Green Girlfriend's parents. Crisp, little bit of citrus flavor, great beer for summer. Sitting outside on their deck watching the sun set, eating ribs, and drinking this wicked awesome beer was about as good as it gets. The Green Miles' recommended activity pairing: Backyard BBQ with food on the grill from your local farmers market.

Bonterra Vineyards. I picked up some of their chardonnay, made with organic grapes, at Harris Teeter recently. Tastes just as good as your typical Kendall Jackson or Clos du Bois or whatever, it's about the same price, and it's better for the environment. The Bonterra chardonnay retails for $13.99, but Harris Teeter has frequent sales and they give you a discount if you buy a half-case or case. The Green Miles' recommended activity pairing: Sip some like a good arugula-eating liberal while emailing your member of Congress to urge them to pass comprehensive climate & energy legislation.

Old Dominion's Beach House Golden Pilsner. Located in Ashburn, VA, Old Dominion is our most local major brewery (hence, its beer needs far fewer miles on the back of a truck to reach you). Generally, I'm not a fan of Old Dominion's offerings, but the Beach House Golden Pilsner does its job well -- light, crisp, just enough flavor, tastes great cold on a summer day. The Green Miles' recommended activity pairing: Tubing down the Potomac (recycling your empties after, of course).

This Is What I Get For Wine Shopping While Thirsty

I recently made a trip down to Broad Run, VA to visit Pearmund Cellars, a sustainable winery (more on their green features here). Pearmund was donating a bottle of their Ameritage Reserve, two Pearmund wine glasses and some free tasting certificates to the Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment 30th Anniversary event.

So The Green Miles generously agreed to go down and pick up the donation. And drink some wine. Anything for a good cause, right?

As regular readers know, I tend to stick to beer, but apparently I'm going to be drinking lots of wine this summer, because I walked out of Pearmund with a full case of wine. Note to friends of The Green Miles - I'm going to need help drinking it. I know I can count on your support during these trying times.

My favorites? For red, I'd go with the Ameritage. But on a hot summer night, I'd definitely pick their Sauvignon Blanc.

But why take my word for it? A tasting's only $5 per person and Pearmund is a beautiful 45-minute drive from Arlington. To continue your wine tasting over dinner, check out Iron Bridge Wine Co. in neighboring Warrenton.

Quick Tips for a Green New Year's Eve

UPDATE: The Curious Grape tells me they have a few selections of champagne and sparkling wine grown with organic grapes.

Looking to go out for New Year's? Check out the Party with a Purpose at Mexicali Blues in Clarendon. It's sponsored by Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment and Eco-Coach.com to benefit EarthEcho International and CarbonFund.org.

Staying home for New Year's? Pop the cork at midnight on a bottle of organic champagne! Treehugger has reviews of eight different selections of champagne and sparkling wine. I couldn't find any organic champagne at Harris Teeter, but call The Curious Grape or Whole Foods to see what they have to offer.

Even the Times Square celebration is getting greener, switching to LED lights for the New Year's Eve ball. Despite being smaller and only using as much energy as 10 toasters, the new LEDs will be twice as bright as the old bulbs and can create more than 16 million colors.

Why It's Much Easier to Get Organic Ketchup Than Organic Wine

With the Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment Organic Wine Tasting coming up this Friday, here's a little background on organic wine and why it's so rare.

At my local Harris Teeter, I can get an organic version of just about anything. I can get organic ketchup, organic peanut butter, even organic dog treats. But while the store carries hundreds of varieties of wine, not a single one is listed as organic.

Why? As the San Francisco Chronicle recently detailed, it's really hard to make a good bottle of organic wine. And it's near-impossible to make an organic white wine durable enough to last on a grocery store shelf:

The biggest stumbling block, many winemakers agree, is the USDA's prohibition against added sulfites. If you want to call a wine organic, you can't add any sulfur dioxide in processing. Zero, zip, none. And the vast majority of winemakers -- in this country and elsewhere -- will tell you that you can't make a decent bottle of wine without it.

"Sulfites are an antioxidant, and we have not found a replacement for that," says Robert de Leuze, winemaster at ZD Wines in Napa.

For centuries, winemakers have relied on sulfur dioxide to keep white wines from turning brown prematurely and losing their youthful fruit flavors. Red wines contain tannin, a natural preservative, so they need less sulfite protection than whites, but they still need some sulfites to guarantee a reasonable life span.

[...]

"It's very technically challenging to make a wine without sulfites," says Katrina Frey, director of sales for Frey Vineyards in Redwood Valley (Mendocino County). "We early on made a commitment that we were going to do it that way. But one can understand why many wineries choose not to."

The winery recommends that customers drink its white wines within a year of their bottling -- a date consumers must call the winery to learn -- and finish any open bottle of white wine within a day. Its red wines last five to eight years, says Frey.

For a list of organic winemakers, check out this About.com article, or visit the Organic Wine Journal.

And to reserve your tickets to Friday's Organic Wine Tasting at the Arlington Arts Center, visit the ACE website!

Just Announced: 2nd Annual ACE Organic Wine Tasting

UPDATE: The link to buy tickets just went live here

Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment has just unveiled the details of its second annual Organic Wine Tasting! Last year's event at Potomac Overlook Nature Center sold out, so this year we're moving it to a bigger, more Metro-accessible venue:

Announcing

An Organic Wine Tasting

Benefiting Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment

* Friday, May 11, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
* The Arlington Arts Center, 3550 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
* Organic wines from around the world presented by The Curious Grape
* Light refreshments will be served.
* Tickets are $50 each ($40 for ACE Members) and can be purchased at the ACE website