Green Wine, Blue Boxes, Brown Bags

Today, you will be offered the $1.99 reusable bottle bag free with any purchase one week before the eco-friendly bags go on sale. If you thought pricing was a hot topic, the environment will be the runaway buzz in the wine business for the next few years as the public comes to grips with just how green they want their wine to be.

My sense is, most consumers and producers want to do the right thing all they need is a little help and direction. As a shopper, I suggest we start with some permanent symbols on shelf tags for certified organic and biodynamic wines as they sit in their appropriate country sections. They should be also be searchable online at www.bcliquorstore.com since all that information is collected at the time of the original listing process.

While my goal is to write about the wine, it's clear the environment will become a bit of a bouncing ball as special interest groups look to use the highly successful vehicle that is the global wine industry to push their environmental agenda. It should be educational, to say the least, for us poor simple wine drinkers.

So it is yes to cloth bags, but why not give us a real incentive to use those bags and buy six bottles -- like a discount. Speaking of bottles, why not do something to discourage all of those ridiculous, overweight bottles that wineries use to impress us with their signature wines. Government should consider adjusting its 117-per-cent markup down for those wineries that respect the British Columbia environment by shipping in lighter glass bottles. Certified organic and bio-dynamic wines could also be taxed at a lower rate out of respect for what their producers are doing to make the Earth a better place.

That means the government would have to be as committed to the environment as its citizens. What say you, Mr. Premier?

And still with bottles, I would be happy to know why thousands of consumers are forced to get into their fuel-burning vehicles to return empty wine bottles to government liquor stores when we could be walking to the lane and filling up a blue box destined to be collected by one electric or hybrid driven truck that surely would place them in the recycle stream at a much lower cost to the environment?

As I said there are many special interests at work and high profile, mainstream wine will not escape them. Today we feature a brief look at some green wines that are making the effort to make the Earth a better place, deposit or no deposit.

Each year we taste the budget sparkler Villa Teresa Prosecco it gets cleaner and fresher. The nose is bright and fresh with plenty of green apple and pear fruit flavours with a dusting of almonds. A classic, patio party, sipper with an organic twist. Green never tasted so good and at this price you can sip it all summer.

The Summerhill Pyramid Ehrenfelser 2005 has a bright fresh enticing nose of orange blossoms and peach. The entry is clean and fresher than previous editions previewing fresh, floral, candied lime and peach flavours. Similar to last year it's a bit warm and pricey but otherwise a very serviceable, patio sipper.

Bonterra Vineyards Chardonnay 2005 is the all-organic chardonnay from Mendocino County just gets better and the price keeps dropping -- it's a rare combination. Love the fresh leesy, citrus, baked apple nose and the cool mineral threads that run throughout. Fresh soft and dry with soft, buttery, nutty, citrus flavours. Modern California chardonnay suitable to a wide variety of foods.

Chile or more specifically Valle del Colchagua is home to Emiliana Orgánico Adobe Syrah 2005 with its peppery, smoky, chocolate, sausage, black cherry jam, vanilla aromas. The palate is round and dry with barnyard, peppery, smoky, bay, chocolate, vanilla, bay leaf flavours. Good finesse if a bit tight now. Serve with grilled sausages or hamburgers all summer.

I'm knocked out by Domaine du Bila-Haut Occulutum Lapidem 2004, a syrah-grenache-carignan blend from the Côtes du Roussillon and made by Rhone specialist Chapoutier at Domaine Bila Haut. The fruit is bio-dynamically farmed with a handful coming off 90-year-old vines.

Big and powerful with fine floral mineral, burnt-earth aromas and lovely black fruit flavours spiked with licorice and garrigue. Impressive for the price and worth cellaring too. In a world where far too many wines get far too many points this 89 point wine is the real deal.

Still in France the Chateau Pech-Latt Corbières 2005, a syrah-grenache-carignan-mourvèdre blend, is made with 100-per-cent certified organic grapes. Typically aromatic with notes of floral, garrigue, mineral, black fruit flavours aromas it is full-bodied with earthy, dry fruit flavours and a good dose of tannin. Needs food or more time in the bottle to mellow out, Serve now with a braised lamb shank or wait two to three years.

VILLA TERESA PROSECCO VENETO N/V, Italy

Price: $16

UPC: 08007615000694

Score: 87/100

Remarks: A classic, patio party sipper with an organic twist. Green never tasted so good.

SUMMERHILL PYRAMID EHRENFELSER 2005, Okanagan Valley

Price: $20

UPC: 779000116119

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Fresh, floral, candied lime and peach flavours.

BONTERRA VINEYARDS CHARDONNAY 2005, California

Price: $20

UPC: 082896780419

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Modern California organic chardonnay at an affordable price.

EMILIANA ORGÁNICO ADOBE SYRAH 2005, Chile

Price: $15

UPC: 7804320198521

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Dry, elegant palate with barnyard, peppery, smoky, vanilla, bay leaf flavours.

DOMAINE DU BILA-HAUT OCCULUTUM LAPIDEM 2004, France

Price: $24.25

UPC: 03391181390439

Score: 89/100

Remarks: Lovely black fruit flavours spiked with liquorice and garrigue.

CHATEAU PECH-LATT CORBIÈRES 2005, France

Price: $25.00

UPC: 03760005620029

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Full-bodied earthy, dry fruit flavours with a dose of tannin.