The COMPLETE "It's Not Easy Being Green" Conversation

Sustainability in wine: all six posts condensed into one place

I started out the conversation this month and now I’m wrapping it all up into one neat little package so everyone can follow it as easily as possible. I’ve also tagged all the authors into the post, and I recommend that you immediately go follow them all! Each of us has a very different focus and perspective on our respective blogs, and between us, you are bound to be suitably entertained and educated on wine and wine-adjacent topics.

Here’s my initial post, in which I sketched out some basic definitions and pointed out some of the challenges of sustainability labels when some producers use them quite loosely and others don’t designate themselves in any sustainable category despite farming and winemaking techniques that would more than qualify them to do so.

George Nordahl

then followed up with a thorough discussion of the importance of walking the walk, not just talking the talk - and awarded himself a sustainability certification that means every bit as much as some of the labels you might find out there.

Wine Conversations: It's Not Easy Being Green (II)

Maria Banson

brought her own perspective on natural wines - another oft-confusing label! - and suggested that one way to find reliable wines is to trust an importer.

Wine Conversations: It’s Not Easy Being Green (III)

Simon J Woolf

reminded us all that these certifications are usually difficult to achieve, and represent real commitment and effort on the part of growers and producers. They are not and should not be marketing terms!

Wine Conversations: It's Not Easy Being Green (IV)

Charlie Brown

recommended your local wine shop owner as a resource to find out which wines are really following sustainable practices, whether certified or not. Her post touched on the layers of trust necessary to communicate sustainability practices down the line from growers and producers, to importers and distributors, to retailers and restaurants, and finally to consumers.

Wine Conversations: It’s Not Easy Being Green (V)

Finally,

Dave Baxter

wondered whether consumers care very much about these labels, and advocated for a single Regenerative Organic Certified label that would go even beyond environmental sustainability to include animal welfare and social fairness.

Wine Conversations: It's Not Easy Being Green (VI)

Well, that’s all for this month! If you’re enjoying this series, help us build traction by following the authors, liking the posts, and sharing them to your Notes or other social media. Looking forward to next month’s discussion, whatever the topic may be! I’ll be back on Friday with this week’s Through the Grapevine, which I delayed to get this post up in a timely manner. Cheers!