Support Our Small Business!

Greetings from Bunker Hill Vineyard & Winery!

Support Our Small Business!

Today, throughout America, there are protests, riots and destruction.  Covid-19 continues to harm our people and suppress our economy. The very fabric of our democratic and capitalistic system is being stretched and often denigrated.

Through all of this chaos, the carriers of the greatest burdens of this destruction are our “Small Businesses”!

No other part of our economy has suffered more than our Small Businesses. While government employees at the state, local and federal levels continued to receive their full paychecks and benefits, our local Barber Shops, Hair Salons, Fitness Centers, Restaurants, Bookstores, etc. have been burned out or ordered closed by the State Governors or local bureaucrats. While most large and multi-national corporations have remained open and prosperous during our terrible pandemic, all manner of Small Businesses have lost everything. Some will never reopen.

Small Business is proud to serve our communities and our friends and neighbors, but we cannot continue to carry the greatest burdens. In times of prosperity and tribulation every American must share equally. Today, this is not happening!

Please seek out and support your local Small Businesses. Small Business is the engine of our economy. Small business is the greatest generator of new and well-paying jobs. Small Business is where innovation and entrepreneurship prospers. As a Small Business, BHV supports our local farms and local businesses. We ask that you continue to support us, so we can continue that mission. 

The situation is dire; Please, speak out in support of our Small Businesses and share this letter with everyone that you can.  We need your help, NOW!

Thank You…Larry & Lenora

The Green Winer

Bunker Hill Vineyard & Winery

Rationing of Essential Consumer Commodities!

Rationing of Essential Consumer Commodities

Has the time come for the government to enforce the “Rationing of Essential Consumer Commodities”?

Just in case you have not experienced grocery shopping recently, let me give you an insight as to what it’s like.

Huge crowds of people pushing and shoving to grab the last case of water, cooking oil, bananas, fresh meats, butter, milk canned meats, canned vegetables, sugar, pasta and every kind of paper goods. Entire aisles are empty with nothing on the shelves.

Groups of people travel from store to store repeating their havoc. Long lines of people form before the store opens and snakes out into the parking lot. Tempers flare as late comers arrive and refuse to go to the end of the line. They rush into the store as soon as the doors are opened, unwilling to wait their turn.

Into this chaos are thrown our Seniors and children. The longer this Pandemic continues, the more uncertain the future becomes; the more chaos grows. Through no fault of their own, Americans are being forced to compete with their neighbors for basic commodities.

Many decades ago our nation was fighting a world war. It was necessary for us to ration basic and scarce commodities so that every American on the home front could have an equal chance. This Pandemic today is being referred to by our leaders as a war. Isn’t time to spend all of our energy fighting this Pandemic war, rather than fighting over a roll of toilet paper?

Thank You…

The Green Winer

Why We Recycle/Repurpose Wine Bottles

Why We Recycle/Repurpose Wine Bottles

And….

Why No One Else Does!

As of this week, October 2019, ‘Bunker Hill Vineyard & Winery (BHV)’ crossed an historic threshold; we (you & us) have recycled/repurposed over 100,000 wine bottles! There was no media fanfare nor parades nor bells and whistles; we expected none. Through our grassroots efforts, what we (you & us) have accomplished is way more than any other winery in the U.S.A. has been able or willing to achieve. With the following factoid gems, we will attempt to put this huge accomplishment into perspective.

We (you & us) have helped to reduce mining waste by over 7,000 pounds!

We (you & us) have helped to reduce air pollution by over

500 pounds!

We (you & us) have helped to save enough electricity to operate over 33,000 TV sets for over 1 hour each!

We (you & us) have helped to save enough electricity to power 100 watts of home lighting for 100,000 homes!

Additionally, we (you & us) have helped to reduce BHV’s carbon footprint, upon our shared environment, by over 60%!

Our march will continue to go on and we (you & us) will continue to care deeply about the world around us and all of our friends and neighbors.

Every year in the U.S.A., we go through approx. 350,000 million cases of wine; about 4 billion wine bottles are dumped into our landfills and forgotten. Because wine bottles are inorganic (glass), it takes almost 1 million years for each one to decompose. So, why isn’t every winery in Florida and the U.S.A. recycling and repurposing their own wine bottles?

For the first five years that BHV was open, we took in the empty wine bottles from every other Florida winery and cleaned, sanitized and repurposed them. The hope was that we could lead by example and encourage them to join us, and together, Florida could set a recycling example for the nation; this never happened. Today, we no longer accept wine bottles from any other Florida winery. If you patronize any other

Florida winery, you should return their empty wine bottles to them for them recycle.

One final note, even though BHV is the Greenest Winery in America and is 100% recycled on wine bottles, we are not alone in the world. Every winery of every country in Europe recycles their empty wine bottles a minimum of 9 times!

Again, Thank You, for all your help and support…BHV!

The Green Winer!

‘Paid’ Internship Programs

‘Paid’ Internship Programs

To graduate, most colleges require a student to complete an internship program; our local University of South Florida campuses, included. 

As the ‘Greenest Winery in America’ BHV has participated in and supported these internships for years. We believe that sharing our knowledge with the youth of today will help insure a successful future for both the student and for our community. If you own and operate a successful local business, we encourage you to contact the University campus nearest to you and become a member of their internship program.

With this Blog, we hope to open a dialog about how college interns are compensated for their time and contributions to the hosting business. Today, some businesses like BHV offer ‘Paid’ Internship programs. We believe that a student has worth and value and deserves to be compensated for their time working with us. However there are too many businesses that look upon their interns as a source of ‘Free Labor’. These types of businesses should be required to pay their interns or be purged from the Internship Program.

Most college students have accumulated a large backload of student debt. To expect the student to enrich any business with their ‘Free Labor’ should be unacceptable to us all. 

In the normal conduct of their business, all businesses are required to pay their employees for their work, even those employees in training. To make an exception for the college intern is both wrong and unfair. BHV calls upon our Local Universities and community to support only ‘Paid’ internships and to discontinue the unfair practice of not paying interns for their time and work.

We Thank You…..

Things to Know and Questions to Ask When Visiting Wineries!

(Provided as a Customer Service by BHV)

Things to Know and Questions to Ask when Visiting Wineries!

Congratulations on your decision to visit wineries. We understand your enthusiasm and excitement! After all, we are blessed to be at one every day!

Before embarking on your winery trip, it’s important that you have an idea of what to expect and what questions to ask of the wineries. To begin, we’ll start with what you can expect.

Most wineries, today, are factories. Some are small factories and some are very large factories. Rather than grow all the grapes and/or fruits for their labeled wines, most factory wineries “source” their inventory in the form of juices and concentrates. In America, today, there are only about 30% of our wineries that are growing anything. As you drive up to the winery, you should expect to see some grapes and/or fruits growing near the tasting building. Just like you, wineries understand psychology and fulfill your expectations with “show vines”. 

Today, most wineries charge you a fee for the privilege of tasting their wines. Some wineries credit this fee to the cost of your wine purchase, while others do not. It’s best to check with them before showing up at their door. You should expect all wineries to follow all the applicable laws that are related to alcohol consumption. In Florida, the legal drinking age is 21 years.

After entering the wine tasting building and before tasting any of their wines, you should ask to see a labeled bottle of each of the wines that you will be tasting. By Federal Law, every winery in America must tell you HOW their wines are made.  This information is usually listed on the back label in tiny print. The “Holy Grail” of wine making will list four words…”GROWN, PRODUCED, VINTED & BOTTLED”! When you see these four words on any wineries wine bottle label, you should become very excited! That winery is upholding the tradition of wine making at the highest standard. 

Remember, however, most wineries in America are simply factories. They aren’t growing anything. They are ‘sourcing’ the juices and concentrates for their wines. The hallmark of a factory winery will only be one or two words. Usually they will read… “Bottled”, “Produced & Bottled” or “Vinted & Bottled”. Notice that the word “GROWN” is missing??

If you have determined that this is a factory winery the next question that you should ask is…”Where are you ‘sourcing’ the juices and concentrates for your wines”? You have a right to an answer to this question. If the winery answers your question, then you can make an informed decision on whether to taste their wines, or not. If the winery cannot or refuses to answer this question, you should leave immediately!

We are throwing 4 Billion used/empty wine bottles into America’s landfills every year, because most American factory wineries refuse to recycle/repurpose their own wine bottles. You should expect every winery that you visit to accept the return of their own empty wine bottles, including those that are shipped. Please ask this question up front. (NOTE: BHV is the Greenest Winery in America and uses 100% recycled/repurposed wine bottles. We’ve repurposed over 100,000 wine bottles in the last 18 months).

Lastly, but not least, you should look for the words “UNFILTERED WINE” on the label. This is telling you that you are getting a wine that is made to be the best that it can be. Only wines that are labeled ‘Unfiltered’ insure you that your wine is made to age properly. Unfiltered wines have NO end time and will get better year after year! You may have to recork in about 20 years. ‘Filtered’ wines have No longevity build into their wines and are only good for about 2 to 4 years! One easy way for you to tell the difference is to look at the neck of the wine bottle. If that wine bottle was sealed with ‘Wax” then it’s most certainly an “Unfiltered” wine. If it has plastic or aluminum foil on the neck it’s a ‘Filtered’ wine.

We hope that the above customer service information helps level the playing field between you and the wineries.

Thank you…BHV

The Green Winer!

Imported Wines!

There seems to be a lot of confusion about imported wines.

With this BLOG we’re going to help you understand them a lot better!

Firstly, imported wines DO NOT have to comply with American laws of wine production. They are governed by our ‘Trade Agreements’. 

Most Americans are unaware that these ‘Trade Agreements’ supersede American laws and standards. They need only comply with the laws in their ‘Country of Origin’! This is why, our bad trade agreements need to be rewritten.

As an example, there are two (2) Federal U.S.A. laws that every American wine producer are required to meet.

Federal Law #1:

“Every producer of wine in America must tell you, the wine consumer, HOW your wine is made!” A ‘REAL’ American winery has the word “GROWN” on its label. The following chart shows you the five (5) options:

RANKING:
1)     GROWN, PRODUCED, VINTED & BOTTLED	BEST
2)     PRODUCED, VINTED & BOTTLED	GOOD
3)     PRODUCED & BOTTLED	BAD
4)     VINTED & BOTTLED	BAD
5)     BOTTLED	WORSE

Federal Law #2:

“Only wineries in America producing any kind of ‘Fruit or Vegetable’ wine from “Whole, Fresh fruits or vegetables, can use the word “NATURAL” on their wine label”! Absent the word “NATURAL” the wine is being made from juices or concentrates.

Now, let’s suppose that the laws in that foreign country stated that those wineries were not required to tell their own consumers how their wines were being made. You guessed it, they DON”T have to tell you either! They are able to import their wines into America, put them on American shelves next to REAL American wines, yet DO NOT have to meet American laws of wine production. This is NOT a level playing field!

Although not mandated by federal law, there is one word that appears on REAL wines everywhere on the planet. By knowing this single word, you are assured that that bottle of wine is made to be the best that it can be. That word is the word “UNFILTERED”!

In conjunction with the word “UNFILTERED”, look for the bottle to be sealed with real sealing wax. “UNFILTERED” wines are the only wines that age and are worthy to go into any kind of long-term storage. 

Shun any bottles of wine with plastic or aluminum foil on their tops. These are ‘Filtered’ wines with a usual shelf life of two to four years and no ability to age.

Thank You….the “Green Winer”

Buyer Beware!

“For Sale,

Rural 5 Acre Lots in Florida”.

“NOTE: With this Blog, we are going to address a situation that is not being discussed on any public forum. Our hope is that we can inspire conversation and substantial change to Florida law that protects our fellow citizens!”

It sounds idyllic, buying a piece of quiet, rustic, rural Florida and escaping the pollution and noise of the city. This fairy tale can quickly become a nightmare if you’re not extremely careful!

Citrus Greening continues to devastate Florida’s citrus groves. With no cure in sight, many Florida grove owners are selling off their old grove lands to unsuspecting city buyers.

A quirk in Florida’s Real Estate laws permits these grove owners to sell off their lands in 5 acre residential lots and retain their agricultural zoning. Thus, they are exempted from any county code enforcement rules and laws. They have NO obligation to tell you, the buyer, about any of the pesticide or fungicide chemicals that they used on their citrus crops or any of the toxic chemicals released into the soil by the onsite burning of their black PVC irrigation pipes.

One extremely toxic pesticide that has been used on Florida’s citrus crops is “ALDICARB”! It has been shown to enter the human food chain and cause significant and long-term pollution of drinking water supplies. Because of its extreme toxicity to humans and wildlife its use in America was recently banned by the EPA.

In order to quickly and cheaply remove the old citrus trees from their land, they are permitted by Florida law to open burn together the citrus trees and black irrigation pipes. Usually, they are bulldozed into large piles and set ablaze with gasoline. 

By not having to pull and recycle the black PVC irrigation pipes, toxic “Dioxins” are able to enter the air and the soil.

So, until Florida laws are changed, you should seek your paradise elsewhere!

Thank You…”The Green Winer”

So, you've Decided to Start Collecting and Saving Wines.....

READ this FIRST!

Nearly every day, someone tells us about their decision to start collecting and storing wines. It seems to be a cool thing to do! With little or no knowledge, people are willing to invest their hard earned money into a hobby that gives them little or no return on their investment!

Remember, your job is to enjoy wines, not to store them. You should leave the storing of wines to the real pros, like BHV. If, however, you are still determined to pursue your dream of creating an awesome wine collection, continue reading this Blog before spending another dime!

 As BHV is the ONLY Vineyard/Winery in America that advocates for you, the wine consumer, you should follow our advice, below, precisely!

First, understand that there are two types of wines produced in America, today. Fake, Factory produced wines, and Real wines from Real American wineries. The ONLY wines that you should even consider placing in your collection are wines from Real American wineries!

Printed on the Wine labels of Real American Wineries will be these words 100% of the time…”GROWN, PRODUCED, VINTED & BOTTLED”! Additionally, and prominently displayed will be the word…”UNFILTERED”! The top of the wine bottle will be sealed with real sealing wax, NOT plastic or aluminum foil! These are the ONLY wines that can age and the ONLY wines that have the potential to increase in value over the years!

It’s important to understand that the purpose of wine making was determined thousands of years ago by our ancestors. That purpose is clear and straight-forward…”To capture the Harvest of Today and Extend that Harvest ‘Indefinitely’ into the Future, with NO end Time!”

Because Real American wineries are committed to this mandate, with each click of the clock the value of their wine grows!

Thank You, The Green Winer

Looking for a Job? Maybe This Will Help.

As an adult who has witnessed a life of living and working in the private sector, I thought that it might be helpful to you to give you a few suggestions on where to spend your life working.

Today, without question, you should head to the nearest government employment office (State, Local or Federal) and submit your application. Do not consider working in the private sector! Here’s why.

After decades of working for a private sector employer, your employer can file for Federal Bankruptcy and a Federal Judge can negate your entire retirement income. You see, in the private sector, your retirement income IS NOT considered a liability of your employer. If however, you follow my advice and seek employment with the Government that same Federal Judge will rule that your retirement income IS a liability of the Government and MUST be fully funded and paid for by the taxpayer! This difference is huge and must be considered.

In the private sector your continued employment IS NOT guaranteed. Your employer can dismiss you or outsource your job at any time. Pay scales and benefits can be adjusted at the will of your employer. If, however, you follow my advice and seek work with the Government, your job will be guaranteed for life. Simply don’t make any waves our upset the status quo. Pay raises will flow to you on a regular basis along with benefit increases. In many cases, if you work for different government agencies, you will be eligible for multiple full retirement incomes. This is unheard of in the private sector! Even your retirement income will increase as adjustments are made by Government due to the cost of living.

In the private sector, you will work most holidays and weekends. You will sacrifice precious time with your growing kids and family. If, however, you follow my advice and seek employment with the Government, you will be given most holidays off work with full pay and benefits. If the holiday should fall on the weekend, you will be given a bonus day off of either Friday or Monday. Normally, you will have every weekend off.

In the private sector, a Union Worker must negotiate all pay and benefit increases with their private sector employer. Ultimately, the sales and profits of the private sector company will dictate how much of those sales and profits can be redirected to the union employee. If however, you follow my advice and seek employment with the Government, you will find it much easier to negotiate. Both you and the Government are employees of the same the employer, the Taxpayer. Unlike your counterpart in the private sector your employer is not even present at any negotiations. There is no connection, relationship or limitations imposed by any kind of sales or profits.

Lastly, but certainly not least, if you should decide to start your own small business, please understand that government has stacked the deck against you. Even though YOU must pay taxes and rents and higher costs for goods and services, the largest national and multinational corporations are granted, by government, extended or permanent free rent or exemptions from taxes. Many other perks often flow in their direction. All of this largess is paid for by you. The largest and most profitable U.S.A. corporation in the world paid NO Federal income taxes last year.

So, in conclusion, choose your path wisely!

Thank You…the “Green Winer”

Filtered Wines vs Unfiltered Wines

Real American Winery 1

“Current U.S.A. Trade Agreements & How They Affect Your Wine”

“Current U.S.A. Trade Agreements

&

How They Affect Your Wine”

Under our current U.S.A. Trade Agreements, The American wine consumer and the American small farmer have been ‘sucker punched’!

Today, in America, there are two types of wine producers, the “REAL” wineries and the ‘Wine Factories’.

These American ‘Wine Factories’ are able to capitalize on these Trade Agreements in, primarily, two ways.

Firstly, by importing container loads of cheap juices and concentrates from outside the U.S.A. and, secondly, by setting up ‘distributorships’ for foreign wines.

So, how do these actions by the ‘Wine Factories’, affect you?

America has some of the most effective and comprehensive consumer protection laws in the world.  As an example, we banned child labor over 100 years ago. We banned many chemicals (like DDT) nearly 50 years ago. We would never irrigate our American farm fields with raw sewage. The list goes on and on! “Real” American Wineries and small farmers must comply with these laws.

Our Trade Agreements make no attempt to raise our trading partner’s standards to our high American standards. They simply state, “If you sign on the bottom line, you can import your wines and commodities into America as though they were grown here. However, you are NOT required to meet America’s high consumer protection standards. Meeting your countries standards is good enough”.

In America, every American winery MUST tell you 'the consumer' HOW your wine is made. “Real” American wineries will have the word “Grown” on their wine labels. “Wine Factories” NEVER have the word grown on their wine labels. Obviously, if they’re importing juices and concentrates for their wines, they CAN’T use the word Grown. Most will have only two words, in tiny print on their back labels, “Vinted& Bottled”, “Produced & Bottled” or just the word “Bottled”. That tells you, the wine consumer, that they ARE NOT growing the products for their wines! In order to prevent being deceived, you MUST ask them, before buying or tasting their wines, where are the juices and concentrates coming from!

“Factory Wines” are easy to spot on the retail shelf. In addition to the guidance above, they are all sealed with the gingerbread of plastic or aluminum foil. “Real” American wineries use ‘Sealing Wax’ and will state ‘Grown’ &‘Unfiltered’ on their labels!

Another way that the “Wine Factories” take advantage of these Trade Agreements is to hook up with foreign wine producers. These “Wine Factories” then use their American distribution networks to force these foreign produced wines into our American restaurants and retail outlets. Because of these Trade Agreements, the “Wine Factories” pay NO tariffs on the imported wines and the imported wines DO NOT have to comply with American consumer protections. Of course, the “Wine Factories” bottom line profits become even fatter. The losers are the “Real” American Wineries, the American wine consumer and the American small farmers!

As a closing thought, when the playing field is level, Americans have always been able to compete on the world stage.

It’s time that we, as Americans, regain control of our country and repeal or replace these unfair and hurtful Trade Agreements!

Sincerely…the “Green Winer”!

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM!

Bunker Hill Vineyard and Winery

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM!

With this Blog, we are going to highlight an aspect of BHV that many of our friends and guests may not be aware….our “BHV Internship Program”!

With our 2015 grape harvest recently completed, our 2015 “BHV Internship Program” has, also, drawn to a close. Now that our world has refocused from harvesting back to wine making and customer service, we are able to draw a deep breath and reflect upon both the good harvest and the tenure of our Intern. We are always thankful for the bounty of Mother Nature, but, equally, we are thankful for having shared a time with a young person seeking their place in life! The lessons that they have learned from us will, hopefully, influence them in a positive way on their journey into their future!

BHV’s “Internship Program” requirements are simple, see below:

   “Each year, BHV proudly accepts students from accredited schools and colleges for on-site/hands-on Internships. Interns will work side-by-side with BHV management to learn the art of wine making, sustainability and customer service. All disciplines of study will be considered.

Interested students should e-mail us their resume. Included in the resume should be your requested internship dates and a brief explanation of Why you would like to be our intern.”  That’s it!

One observation that we would like to share with you is the realization that most of the youth of today are not lost. We are encouraged by the diligence, intelligence, and work ethic of our interns! They are keenly aware that the world of the future will rest upon their shoulders. They understand WHY it is important to protect the world around them and to run a business in a “green & sustainable way”!

If you own and operate a business and do not currently offer an internship program, we encourage you to consider starting one this year!

Thank You…..Salute & Happy Days!

About…Sparkling Wines!

     

            

About…Sparkling Wines!

Whenever the discussion of wines turns to “Sparkling Wines”, the eyes of many people glaze over!  To many people, Sparkling Wines seem a little exotic and foreign.  The reality is, Sparkling Wines had their birth in a land far from the U.S.A., in Europe, in Champagne, France. Hundreds of years ago a Monk discovered the process of creating Champagne (Sparkling Wine). Because great wines were always ‘Unfiltered’, his ‘Ah-Ha’ moment probably was inspired by the secondary fermentation of his wine. In any case, it is to this Monk, in Champagne, France, a very long time ago, that we owe this supremely beautiful wine!

Before we get any further into our discussion of Sparkling Wines, we need to differentiate the “REAL” Sparkling Wines from the cheap, Factory produced bubbly wines.

The process for creating “REAL” Sparkling wines (like Champagne) is the Holy Grail! A “REAL” Sparkling Wine must go through TWO fermentations. The first fermentation takes the fruit to the level of most normal wines. Then, after the first fermentation, the wine goes through a second fermentation…”In the Bottle”! REAL Sparkling wines will always say on the label…”Fermented in this Bottle”! Additionally, a “REAL” Sparkling Wine can ONLY be created DRY (no sweetness)! The reason that a ‘REAL’ Sparkling Wine can ONLY be created DRY is because ‘Live Yeast’ are added to the Sparkling Wine bottle before it is wired shut. The Live Yeast eat the tiny amount of sugars inside the bottle and produce the natural bubbles that we associate with our Sparkling Wines! As with all great wines, your “REAL” Sparkling Wine label should read…’GROWN, PRODUCED, VINTED & BOTTLED’ and ‘UNFILTERED’!

By the way, each bottle of “REAL” Sparkling Wine must be turned a quarter turn each day throughout the second fermentation. Very time consuming and labor intensive, but well worth the wait!

Now, compare the above “REAL” Sparkling Wine to the cheap Factory produced bubbly wine. A cheap Factory produced bubbly wine is usually made from a filtered table wine. They add sugars, fruit juices and made up chemicals of hints & notes. Then, from a tank of carbon dioxide, they inject each bottle (just like your favorite soft drink). There’s NO live yeast here! Within a blink of an eye the cheap Factory produced Sparkling Wine is wired shut, labeled, boxed and shipped out the door!

If you’re like me, however, you may be turned off by the natural dryness of the “REAL” Sparkling Wine. Well, don’t be! You should NEVER sacrifice the quality of a “REAL” Sparkling Wine!  If needed, from this day forward, you are empowered to add a little sweetness to your “REAL” sparkling wine. To my glass of “REAL” Sparkling Wine, I like to add a little whole cane sugar (it’s NOT GMO’d) or natural Florida Orange Blossom Honey! Try a slice of Fresh fruit in your glass of “REAL” Sparkling Wine for a wonderful treat!! Whatever type of sweetener that you use in your world, will work fine in your “REAL” Sparkling Wine.

So, until we meet again, pour a glass of “REAL” Sparkling Wine, raise it up in front of you and say…”Salute & Happy Days”!   

Factory Wineries!

Factory Wineries!

What in the world is a Factory Winery? With this Blog, we’ll tell you what they are and how to avoid them!

Factory wineries are popping up everywhere in America. Cities and towns that never had a winery before are, overnight, the recipients of one or two or more. Many of these new Factory wineries are getting fabulous subsidies from the local taxpayers and governments. So, just what is the wine consumer getting for their hard earned money? Answer…very little or nothing!

A Factory winery has an Achilles Heel.  There’s a Federal Law on the books that requires every winery in America to tell us how their wines are created. A Factory winery will usually print it in tiny script on their back label. If you see the words…”Bottled, Produced & Bottled or Vinted & Bottled” it’s a Factory winery. Just one or two words is the trademark of a Factory winery. What’s missing is the word…”GROWN”!!

                       

Factory wineries “Source” most of their inventory in the form of juices and concentrates from ‘off-site’ suppliers. Some of their inventory may come from America, but much does not. They bring it into their Factory winery, mix & blend it, match a color chart, filter it, add made up flavors of ‘hints & notes’, bottle it and offer it to the wine consumer. Most will never tell us from where they “Sourced” their inventory or that their wines are “Filtered”. Filtered wines have a heritage of about 85 years and a shelf life of between 2 to 4 years (for comparison, see UNFILTERED , below).

Even though our landfills are filling up with used and empty wine bottles (4 Billion a Year), these Factory wineries refuse to recycle/repurpose their empty wine bottles. Each time they bottle they are using brand new wine bottles from China, Mexico, or Italy.

So, Green Winer, what’s our alternative, we love wines!

Fortunately, we do have an alternative. Look for wines and wineries that produce wines that state the following on their labels:

1  1.)    GROWN, PRODUCED, VINTED & BOTTLED (Produced, Vinted & Bottled can be OK if they are using whole Fresh fruits & Vegetables from a local farm. Ask questions.)

    2.)    UNFILTERED (these are the ONLY wines that continue to get better with age. They have NO end-time! Their heritage extends back into time over 8,000 years!)

    3.)    The word ‘NATURAL’ on any fruit or vegetable wine (this tells us that that winery is making their fruit wines from whole fresh fruits. Absent the word Natural and the wines are made from juices & concentrates.

If you have one of these wineries in your neighborhood that is producing their wine to these highest standards, please buy their wines and tell them that the “Green Winer” says Thank you!!

So, until we meet, again…..”Salute & Happy Days”!