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.
Lunaria ‘Coste di Moro’ Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Available at Hungry Goat Scratch Kitchen and Wine Bar in Morrison
When you’re ready to escape the hustle of the big city, take an afternoon and head up to Morrison for a meal at Hungry Goat Scratch Kitchen and Wine Bar. This woman-owned eatery sits on the town’s main drag, surrounded by mountain vistas and cheerful storefronts.
It’s only fitting that a restaurant nestled in the Colorado Rockies would be pouring a wine crafted from the mountainside vineyards of Abruzzo, Italy. With sweeping views of the Adriatic Sea to the east, the region is a prime setting for vines, with sea breezes cooling the grapes as the consistent sunshine facilitates optimal ripening.
Lunaria ‘Coste di Moro’ Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is produced by Italian cooperative Cantina Orsogna. The group is committed to offering organic, biodynamic, and vegan-certified wines that meet the highest standards of sustainability. Beyond their role as stewards of the land, the party also supports programs for social sustainability in the local community.
The wine presents a layered, complex profile packed with dark fruit flavors of plum and strawberry preserves with a hint of toasted nuts and chocolate. The tannins are firm, and the purple hue clings to the glass as you swirl it to life.
For a pairing, try an order of Hungry Goat’s steak tartare made of prime filet mignon with shallot, cornichon, diable sauce, quail egg, microgreen, lemon, parsley, and crostini served with a bed of fresh arugula. I waffled between that and the bolognese pappardelle house-made pasta with plum tomato sauce, beef, pork, garlic bread, aromatics, and parmigiana. I’m looking forward to returning ahead of my next Red Rocks show to try the pasta and savor another glass of this fantastic wine.
Sustainable Wine Practices: Certified Organic | Certified Biodynamic | Certified Vegan
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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