Sustainable Wines in Honor of Earth Month
April is Earth Month and it’s time to hit the streets of the Mile High City to discover delicious wines that are crafted with Mother Nature in mind.
Sustainability in wine is a broad umbrella encompassing a huge variety of practices. From organics and biodynamics to natural wine and more, we’re going green!
Dive into the details with me as we explore a lineup of delicious wines you can enjoy in Denver-area restaurants that care about what you put into your body and how it impacts our planet.
From a chillable red to the most delicious orange wine to a flavor-packed Italian red to a fizzy Pet Nat, there’s something every wine (and earth) lover can embrace this month.
Weingut Friedrich Becker Family Pinot Gris 2020
Available at Bar Dough
Bar Dough has a place in many a Denverite’s heart for its intimate atmosphere, well-appointed bar, and oh-so-pillowy pizza crust. The recently revamped space looks and feels better than ever, thanks to the deft touch of local interior designer Abigail Plantier of Maximalist Experience Design.
As for the menu, the seasonal offerings highlight the best of Italy with unexpected but welcome touches like the tuna crudo antipasti with gooseberry, grapefruit, fried caper, and Calabrian chili vinaigrette with its frenzy of flavors and colors that practically pop off the plate and into your mouth. As we’ve come to expect from a concept by the team at Culinary Creative Group, these are simple ingredients presented in imaginative ways to elevate the senses and keep us coming back.
My sustainable wine pick here was a no-brainer for me. Becker Family Pinot Gris is not just one of my favorite organically and biodynamically farmed wines; it’s one of my favorite wines period. Although the grape is generally considered to be a white variety, the copper hue of the skins, which rested in contact with the juice for less than a day, imparts a tinge of color that has it edging on the orange wine category.
The wine is full-flavored and slippery on the tongue with notes of Honeycrisp apple, fresh strawberry, grapefruit peel, and a subtle tannin structure reminiscent of freshly brewed sun tea. The Becker Family winery, located in the southernmost part of Germany’s Pfalz region near the border with France, is known for composing prime examples of the exceptional grapes grown here. Their commitment to organic and biodynamic farming means this is not only a delicious drink but a bottle that supports a sustainable wine industry for generations to come.
To follow the crudo, try Bar Dough’s wood-fired ‘Cavolo’ pizza with garlic oil, Castelvetrano olive, Fresno chili, ricotta di bufala, kale, and lemon. The combination of vegetarian-friendly flavors is a perfect match for this exceptional wine.
Sustainable Wine Practices: Organically Farmed | Biodynamically Farmed
Read my full review of this wine here
About The Author
Montana Rae
Montana Rae is a CMS Certified Sommelier and WSET Level III residing in Denver, Colorado. She offers private wine tastings, classes, and dinners at clients’ homes and businesses around Colorado, as well as product recommendations, tips, recipes, and more through her company, The Wine Ship.
Montana is also a commercial real estate broker specializing in sales and leasing of restaurant and retail spaces in Denver.
Contact Montana at montana@thewineship.com and follow her on Instagram @montana.rae.sommelier
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