I’m a firm believer in “going green” all year — not just on Earth Day — and that includes keeping my wine collection stocked with plenty of eco-friendly wines.

To borrow a quote from Andrew Jay, my friend who runs the wine program at Encantado Resort and Spa, “A farmer working in harmony with the forces, rhythms and cycles of nature improves the quality of grapes he [or] she harvests.” Wines on Jay’s list adhere to three levels of Earth-conscious winemaking, including sustainability, organic production and biodynamic agriculture.

Sustainability, our first level, can be difficult to define. While there’s no government regulations for producing sustainable wines, there are a few organizations around the world that provide guidelines, including the Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, a self-regulated group from California. Here, members practice the three E’s of winemaking: environmentally sound, economically feasible and socially equitable. The group’s mission is to produce the best-quality grapes and wine possible while providing leadership in protecting the environment and conserving natural resources for future generations.

Next on this list is organic wines. Keep in mind that sustainable wines may or may not be organic. Likewise, organic wines may or may not adhere to sustainability guidelines. That said, organic wines, by definition, are wines made with grapes grown without the use of chemical fungicides, pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides. Since every wine-producing country has its own legal guidelines, the organic-certification process can get quite convoluted. For example, some countries may allow small to moderate use of sulfides while others may exclude it entirely. Other nations may demand strict adherence to all organic-certification guidelines while some (like the good ol’ USA) may only require that most of the rules are met.

In Europe, moreover, a bottle may read, “Made with organic grapes,” which means the producer did not use chemicals in the vineyard, but could have used them in the winery. Confusing, I know, but it’s worth finding a reputable wine producer committed to organic practices.

Finally, we explore biodynamic wines. Here, we go to an almost “holistic” style of farming, where everything from composts and manure to lunar cycles and crystals are used in winemaking.

Developed in 1924 by Rudolf Steiner, biodynamic wines are based on organic-farming methods. In lectures, Steiner touted nine different preparations to aid fertilization, and he described how these methods should be prepared. Steiner believed that these preparations mediated terrestrial and cosmic forces into the soil, which, in theory, would help crops, including grape vines, flourish. In one specific example, he insisted that filling a cow’s horn with its manure and burying it in the ground in the autumn would yield exceptional crop results.

He also preached that chopping up bits of oak bark and placing the pieces inside the skull of a domesticated animal would, too, produce good grapes — after the skull, surrounded by peat, was buried in a moist environment.

While the organic process starts in the vineyard, it ends in your mouth, and the final assessment must be made by answering the final, most important question: “Do I like this wine?”

Because if the vintner is more focused on preserving Mother Nature than pleasing your palate, then he’s missing the point entirely. So taste away, and let me know what you think.

Mark C. Johnson has more than 20 years in the fine-dining industry. He’s one of New Mexico’s leading experts in wine, beer, spirits and cocktails. He consults private collectors, teaches around the country, and appraises wines and spirits for the federal government. Contact him at mjinsantafe@gmail.com.

Schellmann “Ossi” Grner Veltlin

Year: 2009 Region: Niedersterrich, Austria Price: $15 to $20 With a watery appearance and a touch of green, this wine is light on the nose with whiffs of green melons, white flowers and lemons. It’s crisp and refreshing on the palate, showing pears and honeydews. There’s a quick, simple finish, which makes this wine my summer-patio pick for the month.

Chapoutier “Belleruche Blanc” Year: 2010 Region: Ctes du Rhone, France Price: $10 to $15 This wine has a bit of color, but not much. The nose is more mineral-driven and a bit steely with green apples and key limes. In the mouth, it’s light, yet it has a plethora of fruits, including pears, apples and fresh citrus. The finish is quick and leaves me wishing I had a bowl of mussels to snack along with it.

Trefethen Chardonnay Year: 2010 Region: Napa, Calif. Price: $20 to $25 This wine has a deep golden color that reaches the edges of the glass. It’s powerful and jumps out of the glass with aromas of baked, Red Delicious apple, Madagascar vanilla and crme fraiche. It’s full and rich on the tongue and fills the mouth with tropical fruits and pumpkin spices. It has a long, lingering finish that gives you more than your money’s worth.

Brancott Estate Pinot Noir Year: 2010 Region: Marlborough, New Zealand Price: $10 to $15 This wine has a light ruby color with a brilliant appearance. On the nose, it has bright, red fruit, including raspberries and cranberries. It’s light and zesty on the palate with strawberries galore. I recommend serving this wine with a slight chill to bring out its structure.

Tablas Creek Winery “Patelin de Tablas” Year: 2010 Region: Paso Robles, Calif. Price: $10 to $15 This winery wins the Killer Winery of the Week Award for not only practicing what they preach but for also creating highly entertaining video blogs about its wine … cool stuff. This wine has a moderate garnet color. It jumps out of the glass with black raspberries, dark plums and allspice. In the mouth, the wine is filled with dark fruit, meatiness and tannins. It lingers for quite a while and really should be drunk with equally robust meat dishes.

Bonny Doon “Contra” Old Vine Field Blend Year: 2009 Region: Santa Cruz, Calif. Price: $15 to $20 Made by the mad master of California winemaking, Randall Grahm, this wine is the product of 100-year-old carignane vines from Contra Costa County. With a rustic lavender color, this wine belies the aromas of brambly mulberries, herbs de Provence and cigar humidors. On the palate, it’s austere and plush, blending the plush fruits of California wines and the rustic simplicity of wines from southern France. As it fades away, this wine has a moderate finish of dark fruits.

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Sommelier Miguel Chan Wine Journal: WINTER TIME AND THE …

Who says easy living is just for summer? Try this quick and elegantly simple recipe devised for Two Oceans by well-known foodie Justine Drake. She reckons the chilli sauce will raise the temperature just enough to counter … http://miguelchanwinejournal.blogspot.com/2012/05/winter-time-and-livin-and-entertaining.html

Lehigh Valley trail's Wine in Bloom scheduled for this weekend …

Wine in Bloom will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. It is an entertaining and educational event that celebrates bud break on the vines and the start of the growing season. Wine in Bloom … http://blog.pennlive.com/wine/2012/05/lehigh.html

Entertaining With Wine A Cookbook for Wine Lovers by Ruth Church 1982 Paperback

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Entertaining With Wine n Dinner 1976 174 Page Hardcover Book Ruth & Ellen Church

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Wine events spread to fill the year

QUICKREAD

TAKE YOUR PICK

Here are some of the larger area wine events awaiting you this year:

Cocktails & Cookie Creations Local wines are paired with unique savory creations featuring Girl Scout cookies from 5:308:30 p.m. April 20 at Two Rivers Winery, 2087 Broadway. Tickets are $35 at the Girl Scout office, 580 241/2 Road, or at Crossroads Wine and Spirits, 611 24 Road.

Grand Valley Winemakers Dinner Food will be paired with wines during this April 27 meal at Two Rivers Winery, 2087 Broadway, to benefit Hospice & Palliative Care of Western Colorado. Tickets are $87.50 and available at tworiverswinery.com.

Barrel Into Spring Wine Tasting A self-guided tour of Grand Valley Winery Association members to sample food, tour wineries and taste wines from the barrel not available to the public. Set for April 2829 and May 1920. A limited number of tickets are available for $70 per person or $75 if purchased less than two weeks before the event. Tickets are available at tworiverswinery.com or by calling the winery at 255-1471.

Viva el Vino Get dressed up in cocktail party attire for a wine-tasting event on May 5 showcasing various wines, including wines from the area, with proceeds going to support numerous nonprofits in the area through the Junior Service League. Tickets are $60 or $90 for VIP tickets with access to special wine and food. They are available at US Bank locations or from any Junior Service League member.

Wine, Buffalo and Chocolate Mothers Day Trail This free tour from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 12 in the Hotchkiss area enables people to taste wines, sample food and meet the winemakers and farmers at Leroux Creek Vineyards, 12388 3100 Road; Liliputian Winery, 31424 Colorado Highway 92; and High Wire Ranch, 27497 Buffalo Road, with Steve Rhodes Vineyards.

West Elks Wine Trail People can tour the wineries, vineyards, orchards and gardens of the North Fork of the Gunnison River in the Paonia and Hotchkiss area Aug. 47 to learn more about the local wine and food grown in the area. A slew of special events and tastings is associated with the four-day event. Go to deltacountycolorado.com for information.

Dinner in the Vineyard Barrel tastings, tours and a gourmet meal are part of this Aug. 13 event at Stone Cottage Cellars, 41716 Reds Road, in Paonia. A live concert follows the meal. A limited number of tickets ($150) are available by calling Brent and Karen Helleckson at 970-527-3444.

Food, Farm, Film & Wine Festival The Western Slope and Roaring Fork Slow Food Chapters will highlight the bounty of the Paonia area on Aug. 2021 with tours at wineries and farms, films at The Paradise Theatre and meals in the area. Tickets vary in price depending on the number of activities you wish to participate in. Ticket information will be available at slowfoodwesternslope.org closer to the time of the event.

Colorado Mountain Winefest This Sept. 1316 event offers winemaker dinners and a popular festival in Palisades Riverbend Park where dozens of wines from Colorado wineries can be tasted. This is one of the states largest wine festivals. Ticket information will be available at coloradowinefest.com closer to the time of the event.

By Melinda Mawdsley[1] Friday, April 13, 2012

Wine has become synonymous with entertainment in western Colorado, and thats not just because Colorado Mountain Winefest swings around each fall.

In recent years, area wine events have expanded to fill the calendar. Whether it is a laid-back tasting tour of area wineries in the summer or a formal gala at Two Rivers Convention Center in the winter, events highlighting or including locally produced wine have become increasingly prominent in every season.

We have an incredibly interesting product year-round, said Debbie Kovalik, executive director of the Grand Junction Visitor & Convention Bureau, who has spent 22 years helping promote the local wine industry. Events really stand as a stage to promote wine.

Grande River Vineyards owner Naomi Smith labeled the variety of wine events offered here as agri-tainment. The word is a nod to the notion that wine has both agricultural and entertainment components, and it is no accident that more and more events and festivals featuring local wine have been popping up with regularity since the first Colorado Mountain Winefest in Palisade Town Park in 1992, she said.

As one of the first winery owners in the area Grande River Vineyards opened in the early 1990s Smith has made it a point to create an entertaining aura at her vineyard and winery. She insists she is not alone in that mission.

People from all different walks of life are enjoying going to wineries, Smith said. (The wineries collectively) are striving to bring more people in on a year-round basis.

On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Smith finalized plans for the 2012 Hear It Through the Grapevine concert series at the winery. The series welcomes musicians of different genres, encouraging people with various musical tastes, and hopefully a taste for wine as well, to attend the concerts that benefit local nonprofits.

Two Rivers Winery and Chateau owner Bob Witham also hosts a concert series, Jazz Among the Grapevines. His Redlands location near Colorado National Monument, provides a scenic backdrop with a French-vineyard feel for special events and private parties, no matter the time of year.

And both Two Rivers Winery and Grande River Vineyards along with a number of other local wineries participate in events away from their vineyards. Theres Edesia in March, Winefest in September and Barrel Into Spring Wine Tastings in April and May that are put on by eight participating members of the Grand Valley Winery Association.

The spring barrel tasting is one of Parker Carlsons favorite wine events since its inception nearly 10 years ago.

(Tickets are) limited, so theres more food and wine direct contact. People get to taste (wine) out of barrels that youll never taste again because its in process, said Carlson, owner of Carlson Vineyards.

Along with events favoring limited numbers and tickets, such as the barrel tastings and intimate winemaker dinners, those interested can put together their own free tasting room tour.

There are events at about any price point and in all kinds of environments.

Which means, wine novices and experts all can find favorites, come winter snow or summer sunshine, fall chill or spring breezes.

References

1. ^ Melinda Mawdsley (www.gjsentinel.com)

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Weekend Entertaining: Outdoor Wine & Pizza Party

Wine & pizza are the perfect pairing. Learn more about wine pairing with pizza and throw a fabulous outdoor adult pizza party with the perfect wines. http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/weekend-entertaining-outdoor-wine-pizza-party/

Beyond the Cage Home Entertaining Accessories | The Wine Life

OK, it is fair to say that the internet is over populated with wine accessory websites. Every click of the mouse finds you staring at wine glass charms and cork cages oh, cork cages! I hate cork cages!! Why would anyone want … http://blog.winelifedesign.com/2012/04/26/oh-no-not-another-accessory-site/

Entertaining With Wine by Ruth Ellen Church 0528880144

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1950′s Christian Brothers Guide to Cooking and Entertaining (with Wine & Brandy)

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Florence Fabricant gives advice on the fine points of entertaining at home and eating in restaurants. Have a dining dilemma? Ask FloFab.[1]

Q.

I was a guest at a dinner for eight. The host served fish. Horror of horrors, I took a bite and noticed that it had was definitely past its prime, and I believed it had definitely gone off. The sauce was pungent and spicy, though, and sufficiently masked the off-flavor for the rest of the guests, who tucked in with gusto. I pushed the thing around on my plate, hoping no one noticed. I was wracked with guilt for not speaking up. Subsequently there were no reports of illness, but it made me wonder: What should a guest do when faced with the possibility of the mayhem of food poisoning at a dinner party?

A.

I assume youre talking about a dinner in somebodys home, in which case the situation in which you found yourself was a lot more difficult than noticing that the bottle of wine was corked. Under the circumstances, I wouldve done just what you did: tried not to eat the food, and not said anything. (If I was seated next to a dining companion, spouse or partner, I might have alerted him or her with a sotto voce warning.) Short of dropping your piece of fish in the nearest potted plant, masking the fact that you were not eating it is not the biggest challenge in the world. You can just simply say that you are not terribly hungry, or perhaps that you had an upset stomach, though that may be tempting fate.

If the aftermath had been some kind of gastrointestinal problem affecting the other guests, there might have been an opening for you to make a comment. But otherwise, keeping your own counsel made the most sense.

Q.

I was given a bottle of 1971 Chateau Latour as a gift. I love wine, French especially, and cant wait to taste it. I want to get the most out of it for this will probably be the only time I have a wine this special and rare. What would you do? Have a special dinner? What food would go best? Serve it alone? I do plan to share it with my brother who is also a wine lover. It is a fun problem to have.

A.

You have several options. Sharing it with another wine lover, whether its a brother or a friend is an excellent idea. The conviviality of the occasion can only be enhanced by the quality of the wine. You might prepare a very nice dinner, with a main course that would show the wine to advantage, like roast duck or rack of lamb.

Before you serve this bottle of wine, stand it up for 24 hours so that any sediment drops to the bottom and will not make your glasses of wine murky. The wine should be served on the cool side, say 60 to 65 degrees, so keep it in a place where the temperature wont rise to 70 degrees before you open it and do not be afraid to put it in an ice bucket for 15 minutes if it needs a little bit of a chill. The cork will be long, and might be fragile, so take extreme care when opening the bottle. Youre better off using a waiters corkscrew with a long worm (the spirally part) than one of those automatic lever-handle-type wine openers. You might also make a few inquiries into which restaurants that you like might not charge a punishing corkage fee say, $20 or less  and consider taking your wine to a restaurant for dinner. The professionals there would surely know how to open it.

But do not think of this wine for more than two, at most three, people. If its as good as its likely to be, you want to be able to enjoy plenty of it.

References

1. ^ Ask FloFab. (dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com)

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Resources:

Weekend Entertaining: Outdoor Wine & Pizza Party

This weekend, invite friends over for a hands-on, grill-your-own pizza party. Pizza takes on an entirely new character when cooked on the grill or in a pizza oven outdoors, with a slightly smoky flavor and crisp, blistered crust. http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/weekend-entertaining-outdoor-wine-pizza-party/

Easy Wine Glass Parfait Recipe: Great for Entertaining!

Do you host brunches that you want to have a cute treat for? Are you looking for a healthy desert that will stay on track with your diet while still being scrumptiously good? They you want to try out this recipe! It's super cute, no … http://jmanandmillerbug.com/2012/04/easy-wine-glass-parfait-recipe-great-for-entertaining.html

Entertaining With Wine A Cookbook for Wine Lovers by Ruth Church 1982 Paperback

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1950′s Christian Brothers Guide to Cooking and Entertaining (with Wine & Brandy)

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French wine has been considered to be the best wine in the world for many years, if not all time, for many reasons. The wine tastes the best and has many qualities that wine enthusiasts prefer to have in the wines. There are many factors that go into making a great wine, but some of the primary reasons why this wine is one of the best wines in the world is due to the fact that the climate in France is absolutely perfect for the growth of grapes.

When you can grow grapes in the best climate available, you are starting with the best possible product for your wine production. There are also other factors that are important though.

When you buy your wine from a country that produces the most wine in the world, you are buying wine from a country that supplies a great deal of options for you to choose from when you are purchasing your wine.

If you buy your wine from other parts of the world, there will not be that many different choices for you to choose from. The sheer amount of different wine producers in the French region make it possible for you to compare many different wines in order to find the absolute best wine in the world.

When you buy wine that is produced in very large quantities, and you know the wine you are buying is going to be of the highest quality no matter what, you are going to certainly find some of the best wine in the world for your drinking pleasure if you buy your wine from this country. The abundance of France’s wine, and the quality of this wine, makes France’s wine the best wine you can buy wherever you are in the world.

Next check out more tips and resources for french cooking, french wines, and travel in France.