The Spanish word “salud” (meaning “to your health”) is often used by wine lovers when raising a glass. But when it comes to growing grapes and making wine, not all is in the best of health, especially where ecology is concerned. Grape growing can be just as tough on the land as any other crop – and turning those grapes into environmentally friendly wines can be even more challenging.
Consider the bottling, the waste byproducts, the use of petrol-powered farm equipment, the winery’s carbon footprint, in general. Those things add up – even if a vintner is by nature a steward of the land.
But a renewed awareness of the earth – or call it a “remembering” – has fostered a retro-trend among wineries worldwide to green up, go organic, or at least introduce some eco aspects to their enterprise.
