The ‘No Jargon’ Guide To Buying Sustainable Wine

What’s better than having a cheeky glass of wine every now and again? Having a cheeky glass of wine that’s also good for the environment. Writer and savvy b lover Ky Stewart has found a sustainable vino brand that fits the bill perfectly.

At 22, I’m relatively new to the wine game. I’ve put a solid effort in, believe me, but I’m still at the beginning of my journey in discovering wines and how to be an ethical wine-drinker.

As someone who cares deeply about the future of our climate, I’ve decided to make it my personal mission to drink responsibly in all senses of the term, and that means consuming wine that not only tastes good, but does good.

What Actually Is Sustainable Wine?

I’ll confess: I definitely thought that sustainable wines were some kind of wine trend that had nothing to do with average wine drinking. (And I thought it sounded expensive.)

I’ve heard phrases like “minimal intervention” and “certified organic” being thrown around and frankly it all sounded relatively suspicious to me. Greenwashing runs rampant in the wine industry, and I’ve been duped more than once by an “organic” label.

Turns out these are terms that should be taken seriously, especially when you’re exploring sustainable wine.

For example, I discovered that “minimal intervention” refers to the practice of turning grapes into wine with as little interference from the winemaker as possible. That means letting nature take its course as much as possible, letting the grape juice turn into alcohol and reducing the extra stuff that gets put into wine.

I got very excited about the “certified organic” label, which indicates that no chemical fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides are used in the vineyard or the winemaking process.

But there’s a lot of other stuff to consider, including water conservation, using less power and more recycled materials for bottles.

Do you know what biodynamic wine is? I sure didn’t. It’s a kind of farming process that uses organic methods — no additives, etc. — but it also follows a special planting schedule. Basically, it’s another kind of natural wine production method.

This Is How I Found Yalumba

With all the information out there, I started to feel like I was on the verge of getting another university degree. Did I have to read a dissertation every time I bought a bottle of wine?

Thankfully, I happened to stumble across the South Australian winemaker Yalumba.

Yalumba has been making wine at their home in Barossa for 174 years, and as a family business sustainability has always been front of mind. They actually developed their sustainable grape harvesting program back in the mid ’90s, and they’ve been leaders in the space ever since.

In 1999, the family joined Australia’s Greenhouse Challenge programme and committed to reducing their emissions at every stage of the winemaking process from then on. In fact, Yalumba has won 43 awards globally for their sustainable practices including an award for mulching vineyards, which achieved a 25 per cent reduction in water use.

After a bit of digging, it became clear Yalumba is more than aligned with my environmental ethos, but what really sets them apart from other winemakers, I think, is what they do out in the vineyard.

They’re a Silver Member of International Wineries for Climate Action and it seems like they’ve turned their vineyards into an environmental management haven.

In 2011, they installed one of the largest winery solar systems in Australia, which generates more than 20 per cent of on-site power use, and have mapped out their emission reduction projects to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. They’re also committed to having 100 per cent compostable packaging by 2025 with a program to reduce consumption and recycling waste across their sites.

We love to see it.

But when it came to buying wine, I was looking for a straightforward solution. Something I could easily spot in a bottle shop and pick up with full confidence that the winemaker was doing everything it could to produce wine sustainably.

Enter Yalumba GEN

Sitting within an expansive wine catalogue, Yalumba GEN explicitly embodies a commitment to sustainability. All of the wines in the range are proper ‘Certified Organic’ drops and the 2022 vintage has been certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia.

These wines are wild fermented (no added yeast to make the alcohol), the wastewater used to produce them is recycled, as are the leftover stalks, seeds and skins from the harvest.

Even the bottle you pick up is sustainable — the labels are made from post-consumer waste and FSC-certified paper. And the cherry on top? Every one hectare of vineyard that Yalumba owns, has at least one hectare of native vegetation to promote natural Australian biodiversity.

And it tastes incredible.

So Much To Choose From

I’m at the stage of my wine journey where I’m no longer going along with whatever bottle my friend insists on ordering at dinner. I’m taking control of my wine destiny. If I have a choice, this is what I’m getting:

Yalumba GEN Organic Shiraz: A red for those who love a glass full of flavour. With spiced plums and fruit cake aromas with hints of Dutch licorice, this shiraz would be perfect for a moody, fancy dinner party.

Yalumba GEN Organic Pinot Grigio: I’m definitely a pinot grigio gal so this is my go-to wine of choice from Yalumba. It’s got lavender, rose, and pear aromas, making it perfect for a summer’s day by the water.

Yalumba GEN Organic Chardonnay: I used to be scared of chardonnay but Yalumba’s is so light and fresh that it’s made me rethink everything. With peach and melon aromas, along with a tropical acidity to finish, makes this one the all-rounder of the bunch.

Yalumba GEN Organic Viognier: I had no idea what viognier even was but it’s quickly becoming one of my favourite wines. It’s ideal for when you want something light, fresh, and flavourful. Better yet, it’s a food friendly wine, perfect for those wine pairing moments.

Yalumba GEN Organic Sauvignon Blanc: You can never go wrong with a good savvy b. It helps that Yalumba’s is full of tropical flavours with pawpaw and fresh herbs aromas. I’d say this one is ideal for a picnic with your best pals.

You can find the entire Yalumba GEN range online, at Dan Murphys, BWS, and other independent retailers.

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Image Credit: Unsplash – Zan