Courtesy of organicwinecompany.com
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Whether your tastes run to fine wine, refined spirits, or a cold bottle of beer, there is an increasing number of organic options available in bars and liquor stores. And while the environmental and health benefits of a pesticide-free product are clear, companies specializing in organic alcohol also maintain that organic ingredients and processes make for a better-tasting product.
As you get together with friends and family over the holidays and to ring in 2009, consider switching from your go-to brand to one of these eco-friendly, pesticide-free alternatives.
Spirits
Vodka, gin and rum are the staple spirits. And while big-name brands promote the unique flavor of their triple-distilled vodkas or island-produced rums, makers of organic spirits say the more a liquor is processed, the more of its soul is lost.
Vodka 14 made by Boulder, Colorado-based Altitude Spirits is made with organic grain and Rocky Mountain spring water from the Snake River aquifer. This USDA-certified organic vodka is also made with a continuous distillation process that eliminates chemical blending agents, and the stills are never cleaned with chemical agents—meaning the basic ingredients are as pure as can be.
Altitude Spirits, like many organic spirit producers, goes the extra mile by making the bottle as eco-friendly as possible. They use baked-on ceramic pigments "in lieu of plastic labels," and their bottles are sealed with a recyclable synthetic cork that is neither plastic nor natural cork, both of which can modify the flavor of the vodka.
Also try:
Square One Organic Vodka (Virginia)
Matraga White Rum (Brazil)
Juniper Green Gin (UK)
Wine
When it comes to wine, organic is definitely better. Wine isn't just about grapes—the flavor is easily modified by the environment the grapes are grown in. So it's pretty clear that any chemicals applied to the grapes will change the taste of the wine...and end up in your body.
The USDA defines organic wine isn't just made with organically-grown grapes, it is made without sulfites, a common additive used in fruit juice and wine as a preservative. Since most wine producers add sulfites, most wines are labeled "made with organic grapes" rather than "USDA-certified organic." Only a handful of vineyards produced certified organic wine, including Larocca Vineyards and Frey Vineyards, both based in California. If the sulfites are the least of your worries, then any wine made with organic grapes is a much healthier, better-tasting alternative.
For other great organic wines from around the world, check out The Organic Wine Company.
Also try:
Domaine du Parc (France)
Nuevo Mundo (Chile)
Casal dos Jordoes (Portugal)
Beer
If beer is your go-to drink, then it's about time you made the switch to organic. Organic beer has been growing in popularity, with local organic brewing companies popping up, and long-time brewers converting part or all of their breweries. Organic beer also offers up some great new flavors, since brewers look to natural ingredients to create new brews.
Peak Organic Brewing Company, based in Portland, Maine, has been making beer with organic barley and hops for five years. They use a variety of malts and hops from around the world to create unique blends, such as pomegranate wheat ale with acai, but they also offer more traditional brews, like their pale ale.
Cara Smusiak writes on behalf of NaturallySavvy.com about how to live a more natural, organic and green lifestyle.
Also try:
Wolaver's Organic Ales (Vermont)
Butte Creek Organic Beer (California)
Mill Street Brewery's Organic Lager (Canada)
Related posts:
Make a Pumpkin Spice Margarita
How to Go Green: Cocktails
How to Go Green: Beer
How to Go Green: Wine
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