It’s not your grandmother’s wine box!

This 3-liter tube contains a premium, rich and structured California Cab – the first release by winemaker Barry Gnekow, who went looking for a way to drink outside the box and to entertain without the waste.

“My goal was to produce the equivalent of a $25 bottle of wine that could be delivered to the consumer at under $10 per bottle,” he says.

At $40 a tube, The FOUR Cabernet scores many eco points. It eliminates expensive traditional glass-and-cork packaging, cutting wine bottle landfill waste by …

Tags: carbon footprint , cardboard , cork , eco friendly , gas , glass , green , organic , packaging , Paso Robles , shipping , sustainable , tube containers , windpower , wine

3 Comments |

Link to this post |

|

Bookmark

Perhaps it’s the fact the yard is covered with green grass, which is a water no-no in my world, yet a feature imposed by our homeowner association regulations. How we’d love to replace it with artichokes and succulents.

Maybe it’s because my garage is in the back of the house and leads to the backdoor entrance. That sure makes it convenient for unloading backpacks and groceries.

I suppose both of these excuses keep me from perching on the brick steps out front, except once in a blue moon, like on …

Tags: artichokes , babies , back door , child safety , computers , country life , FarmVille , front porches , grass , Halloween , home life , lawns , NCIS , neighborhoods , organic , security , sidewalk chalk , succulents , trick-or-treating , Twilight Zone , wine

7 Comments |

Link to this post |

|

Bookmark

Hot time, late summer in the city!

Except for those dreaded Friday nights when all that’s on your buff arm is your reusable canvas shopping bag.

Lumbering home from your hood’s green grocer, you pass that trendy Indian bistro and spy handsome couples in the window on double dates. They’re nursing ginormous chalices of red wine and laughing up a storm, eyes tearing from the tandoori and terribly clever banter. You feel resentful. You like red wine, too.

Take heart, neo nester. It’s …

Tags: al fresco dining , Annie Somerville , cooking , drinks , entertaining , farmers market , Green's Restaurant , grilling , menus , organic , San Francisco , summer , sustainability , wine

3 Comments |

Link to this post |

|

Bookmark

Is it possible to make great California wine in an unfriendly environment? Not according to Hall St. Helena, the first winery in California to achieve Gold LEED Certification.

LEED is an internationally-recognized green rating system that measures how well a building or community does in its efforts to save energy and water, reduce CO2 emissions, improve environmental quality and show leadership in the stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts….

Tags: California , conservation , LEED certification , local building materials , radiant floors , recycling , solar energy , wine

Add Comment |

Link to this post |

|

Bookmark

Slow down and take time to smell the rosés.

That’s our highly recommended approach to the eco-sensual pairing of artisanal food and terroir-expressive wines at this Sunday’s Golden Glass Wine Event at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Pavilion.

It’s also the prevailing philosophy of sponsor Slow Food USA, an organization dedicated to advocating the importance of sustainable farming practices that respect traditional knowledge and taste.

Complementing more than 100 no-pesticide wines from around the globe …

Tags: artisan , event , Father's Day , Golden Glass , San Francisco , slow food , wine

1 Comment |

Link to this post |

|

Bookmark

Not everyone has the space or budget for a large thermal wine cooler in their pad. Here’s a practical way to chill that organic vino and rescue the dying cork stopper industry at the same time.

The Cork Bark Wine Chiller from Bitters Co. is from and features unglazed terracotta wrapped with an outer layer of natural cork bark ($46). It cools your bottle by insulating it with these layers and lends some earthy style at the same time.

The way of life for Mediterranean cork harvesters has become …

Tags: cork , drink , gift , lifestyle , medicine , organic , organic farming , reduce , wine

Add Comment |

Link to this post |

|

Bookmark

It’s one thing to go organic, but many California wineries are taking sustainability to another level. From ground to glass, the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) is ensuring that Californian vintners are known not only for quality organic wines, but for being leaders in the movement towards sustainable agriculture.

Some of the recommendations put forth by the CSWA for Californian vintners are:

Embrace alternative energy sources, such as solar, wind and biodegradable fuels.

Be at the forefront in habitat restoration and preservation efforts.

Use green building materials ““ straw bale, rammed earth, …

Tags: biodynamic , CSWA , drink , environment , lifestyle , organic , sustainable , wine

1 Comment |

Link to this post |

|

Bookmark

‘Tis the season…to have cold hands.

I’m convinced mulled wine was invented as a handwarmer in the depths of winter. It first pops up in the history books around 400 CE, although its European medieval name of Hipocris harks back to Hippocrates, the Ancient Greek “father of medicine” – and it’s not hard to imagine Celtic Mead being dangled over the fire for an extra-warming kick. Nowadays, mulled wine is a popular winter drink across much of northern Europe. For example, in …

Tags: drink , mead , organic wine , Recipe , wellness , wine

2 Comments |

Link to this post |

|

Bookmark

You know that the best wines are organic – but what about the greenest wines? Simran Sethi and Sarah Smarsh give their tips for tracking down vino verdi, over at the Huffington Post.

Bicycles have a healthy future. For proof of that, look no further than The Economist’s story on how obesity and high oil prices are sending Giant Manufacturing’s sales through the roof.

It makes uncomfortable reading – but it needs to be …

Tags: artisan , cooking , craft , decor , environment , nature , news , wine

Add Comment |

Link to this post |

|

Bookmark