Everywhere you look these days, people seem to be going green. Here at Premier, we’re committed to bringing you earth-friendly wines that taste great and provide excellent value in addition to their sustainability. You’ll find special green tags on our displays and wine racks pointing out the various types of “green” wines. They fall into five basic categories: Sustainable, Organically Grown, Organic, Biodynamic and Carbon Neutral. Here’s a basic run-down of these wines. Note that these definitions are based on the relevant laws in the United States; regulations can vary widely from country to country.

Sustainable

Use of the term “Sustainable” is not regulated; however, it generally applies to producers who minimize the use of toxic and synthetic chemicals in the vineyards, while promoting the use of renewable resources and recycling.

Organically Grown

To be labeled “Organically Grown,” a wine must be made from a large percentage of government-certified organic grapes. This percentage varies from country to country, but is never less than 70%. To be certified organic, vintners are prohibited from using synthetic chemicals in the vineyard, and are only permitted to add organic nutrients.

Organic

“Organic” wines are few and far between because of their delicacy, though when made well they can taste wonderfully clean and natural. These wines must be made from 100% organically grown grapes, and the use of any chemical additives is prohibited, except for a small amount of sulfur dioxide at bottling.

Biodynamic

The concept of biodynamic farming has been around since 1924, it has only recently begun to receive a fair amount of press. These producers follow the same legal rules of organic farming, but in addition, plant and harvest according to the lunar cycle, and use other ritual practices such as burying a cow horn filled with manure as “medicine” for the soil. Wineries must always use wild or indigenous yeasts, and are prohibited from using added sugar, acid or tannin, in addition to the restriction of chemical additives.

Carbon Neutral

Wineries working toward the classification of “Carbon Neutral” use a variety of practices to limit the amount of greenhouse gases released. These producers use many renewable resources, biodiesel truck fuel, wind or solar energy and promote the planting of trees around the wineries in an effort to offset carbon emissions. Many of the wineries working towards being carbon neutral also practice some level of sustainable or organic farming, though they are not required to do so.