Organic Food Now. Think Green!

If there is one form of farming that is suited to being organic, it has to be growing vines. Vines are brilliant because of their hardiness- they´ll flourish in grotty soils and go weeks without rain. But does going organic make a better wine? Read on to find out how organic wines stand apart from normal wines.

Better wines for the planet and for you

Organic wines are made without using any unnatural chemicals, such as herbicides and pesticides, which are added to vines to kill weeds and pests. So when you buy organic wine, you´ll be getting wines that are kinder to both the soil and you, reducing the build up of non-natural toxins within your body. If you find that you ever get a headache after drinking a glass of wine, it´s likely to be due to the chemical residues in the wine - try an organic wine for a change and you are bound to see the difference.

Dedicated winemakers

For a winemaker, deciding to produce organic wines is a very brave decision and exposes them to a lot more hard work, dedication and risk when it comes to attending to their vines. Inspections are needed daily to check for disease and pests, and winemakers have to rely on natural predators and eco-friendly agents whose effectiveness depends on thorough nurturing, care and an awful lot of extra work. But one thing is for sure when you buy organic wine, you can be safe in the knowledge that you´ll be buying wine from dedicated winemakers.

A better tasting wine

Due to the shear hard work and care that is required when it comes to producing organic wines, you can be certain that you´ll be getting a wine from a winemaker who has done all they possibly can to bring you the best quality possible.

Organic wine: the perfect match for organic food

To really make the most from your organic wines, team them with some organic meat, fish and vegetables for a perfect match.

Value for money

Even though organic vines often produce lower yields and require a lot more manual labour, they rarely cost more (if at all) than normal wines. Why? Because organic wines have faced a degree of criticism over the years and organic winemakers are having to do all they possibly can to change this opinion.

New and exciting wines

With organic wines increasingly available, you´ll have a wide variety of wines to choose from. You may even come across some organic wines made from unusual or unfamiliar grapes. However, don´t be put off - most winemakers are simply playing to nature´s strengths, growing what´s best suited to their soils and what will grow unaided. So why not take the time to sample a few and stock up.

To find out more and to choose from a range of organic wine, visit virginwines(dot)com

About the Author

Louise Truswell has been working in and writing about the wine industry for a number of years. Oganic wines are made without using any unnatural chemicals, try an organic wine and see the difference. For more information visit at - www.virginwines.com.

You’ve heard of Save the Whales, but what about Save the Red Wattle Pig? Or Save the Tennessee Fainting Goat? OK, they’re not actual slogans, but they could be. That’s because the underlying issue remains the same: These animals are at risk of extinction, meaning that if they die out, it’s not just sad (more species of plants and animals are going extinct today than at any time since the dinosaur days), but we also lose a part of our heritage. These animals historically served as American foods. Thus, they’re “heritage foods.”

Heritage foods come from endangered or rare breeds of purebred livestock and crops. American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is working to keep dozens of such animals from going extinct, including Florida Cracker Cattle, Mulefoot Pigs, Gulf Coast Sheep, Delaware Chickens, Pilgrim Geese. (See a full list here.)

A surprising tactic is used to try to save heritage livestock.

“If we want to save them, we must eat them!” states the web site of Heritage Foods USA, which, as the sales arm of nonprofit Slow Food USA, sells heritage foods from small farms to wholesalers and the public. It says its Heritage Turkey Project helped double the nation’s population of heritage turkeys and upgraded the Bourbon Red Turkey from “rare” to “watch” status on conservation lists.

As odd as the eat-’em-to-save-’em strategy seems, it hints at the heart of the problem: Long ago, lots of breeds of domesticated animals served as food, but then modern agriculture came along and favored the use of only a few highly specialized breeds that provide maximum production of milk or meat. Examples: A very few breeds provide one-third of the world’s pig supply and much of the nation’s milk supply. So, traditional breeds die out - taking with them genes and survival traits that industrial animals don’t have, including resistance to disease and the ability to adapt to specific climates.

Complete Article / Source: thedailygreen.com