BC Organic Wines & Beers
Choosing Eco-Friendly Alcohol in British Columbia
Pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers aren't found in the soil of organic grapes or crops. Here are the basics of BC organic wines and eco-friendly alcohol.
Green living includes savoring BC organic wines and beers. Since organic grapes and barley are grown without pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers, they can be healthier than traditionally grown wines and beers. Eco-friendly alcohol is getting more and more popular around the world, not just in British Columbia.
BC Organic Wines
Sulfites are a by-product of fermentation, which means you'll find them in your organic wine no matter how pesticide-free the grapes grew. Even when you make your own homemade organic wine, sulfites develop naturally.
Homemade Organic Wines
If you like do-it-yourself organic wine, consider purchasing real cork corks instead of the plastic ones. It turns out that harvesting cork bark is a sustainable ancient practice that's losing its momentum due to plastic corks and screw-off lids. There are only a few cork forests in our world; not using them leaves them vulnerable to developers. Again, plastic just isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Certified BC Organic Vineyards
The Summerhill Pyramid Winery in the Okanagan is “Canada's most visited winery and largest certified organic vineyard” – perhaps because of their pyramids. Summerhill's new pyramid is a four story high replica of the Great Pyramid in Egypt, and it serves as a clarification chamber for liquids. Summerhill's pyramid is a precisely constructed pyramid made without ferrous metals and oriented to true north (not magnetic north). This pyramid not only brings out the deep rich flavours of wine, it also magnifies the foul taste of bad wine.
Summerhill's pyramid works the same for people, too. “We humans are made mostly of liquid and seem to be affected by the chamber as well. We can actually feel our own 'life force energy' strengthen within the Pyramid!” say the folks at the Summerhill Pyramid Winery. Pyramids and life forces aside, Summerhill doesn't use pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers in its organic soil.
Other BC certified organic vineyards include Hainle in the Okanagan, Lotusland in Abbotsford, and Painted Turtle in Penticton.
“No worries, no hurries” is exactly where you want to be when you're savoring a great glass of full-bodied red or smooth white wine. Painted Turtle Wine is based in Penticton, BC; their motto is based on the painted turtle's lifestyle of basking in the sun, hanging out with friends, and looking for food.
Drinking Local BC Wine
Drinking local BC wine not only keeps you in your “100 mile diet”, it supports local talent and economy. Local BC wine can be cheaper, too. If you live in BC or a region that specializes in vineyards, buy local (which isn't the same as BC organic wine, of course). There are numerous BC wineries that make both conventional and organic wines. Vancouver Island, the Okanagan, the Similkameen Valley, the Gulf Islands, and the Kootenays boast delicious eco-friendly alcohol.
When you're experimenting with eco-friendly alcohol, do a little research. Buy a few bottles of BC organic wine and record your favorite, why, and how much it cost. Remember: the less distance your organic wine has traveled, the greener it is.
BC Organic Beer
Ah, a smooth cold beer…. “so much more than a breakfast drink” says the Nelson Brewing Company. They’re BC Certified Organic – so you know you aren't washing down your tofurkey sausage and Egg Beaters with pesticides first thing in the morning.
If you have a yen for BC organic beer, check out Crannog Ales in Sorrento, BC – they specialize in Irish ale so your beer has double the green power! Crannog's farm and brewery are integrated so the livestock gets food from the brewery and the farm provides hops to the brewery. It's a little eco-cycle. Crannog Ales have created some unusual eco-friendly alcohol: the Back Hand of God Stout, Hell's Kitchen Irish Red Ale, and Pooka Cherry Ale. Other green beers include Blackheart Oatmeal Stout, Nelson After Dark Ale, Old Brewery Ale, Paddywhack I.P.A.,Wild Honey, Natureland Ale, and Beyond the Pale Ale.
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