Next time you’re shopping for wine, why not go beyond red and white… and try green?
Our mission at Herban Marketplace is to promote health and wellness – naturally. A big part of achieving your best ‘you’ is finding a healthy balance and savoring the good things in life. For many of us, that includes relaxing with a nice glass of wine.
Most of us have read in the news more than once that certain health benefits have been associated with consuming a glass of vino now and again. Ironically, we’ve also been hearing a lot lately about grapes (especially imported) being some of the most pesticide-laden produce available. Consumers are beginning to put two and two together and it seems that vineyards are, as well.
As organic living grows in popularity, many vineyards are turning to organic growing practices. In order to be labeled “organic,” the wine has to be produced with organically grown grapes, which means that no chemical or artificial fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or other treatments can be used on the vines or in the soil. The lack of these chemicals means more sustainable land, cleaner water and a healthier planet.
Another hot trend in vineyards that takes several steps beyond organic growers is a farming method called “biodynamics.” Based on a series of lectures given in the 1920s by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, this approach to grape-growing is a holistic one that takes into consideration the entire vineyard as an ecological whole – grapevines, soil and surrounding plants. This method seeks to take into account what they believe to be the ecological, energetic, and spiritual elements found in nature. I have to say that although the concept may seem a bit ‘out there’ to some, biodynamic wine is definitely worth trying!
How does organic wine measure up, you ask? I’m not a wine expert, but most of the organic wines I’ve tasted are fantastic and the feedback we have received from our customers has been extremely positive. If you are like me and you truly enjoy the taste of all-natural, organic foods, you do so because you want to experience it the way nature intended. It gives you a good feeling. When it comes to organic wine, the end result is the true flavor of the noble grape without the added sulfites. The next time someone offers you ‘red’ or ‘white,’ ask them for ‘green’!
If you would like to learn more about organic wine, my staff and I invite you to attend our upcoming wine tasting and art sale on Friday, May 4th from 4:30 until 6:00 pm at our store, which is located in Newcastle Square. Enjoy a variety of organic wines and learn a little bit about each of them from one of our fabulous wine reps. Selected wines will be offered at a special price and available for pickup the following Monday. As an added bonus, Mixed Media Artist Pat Radcliff will be selling her art at a discounted rate of 20 – 60% off during the event. Pat’s work has been featured in Henri Bendel, Saks Fifth Avenue, Interior Design Magazine and of course, Herban Marketplace! We are located at 1211 Newcastle Street in Beaufort. For more information, please call us at (843) 379-5550.
