I like to think I do as much as possible to protect and care for our environment. I thought moving to the country others would have the same respect for their surrounding areas and treat them with love and care. Not so. Rooster and I walk on a daily basis and I’m always amazed and disgusted by the amount of trash on the side of the road. Last week I found a name and address in a pile of fast food bag trash. In my head I plot what I would say to this 45 year old man (his DOB was part of the info in the pile) but if he hasn’t gotten it at 45, I doubt he’ll ever understand why littering is detrimental to both the environment and those of us who enjoy walking the area. Makes my blood boil.

This also leads me to my new passion of creating natural lotions, lip balms and other “potions”. I like knowing what is seeping into my skin and avoiding unnecessary chemicals. I don’t seek out organic wines and I think they get a bad rap, I’ve had some that had zero personality and tasted of bug spray. Not Bonterra Organic wines. These are some of the better and very affordable organic wines which are also widely available.

Bonterra Chardonnay 2011
Aromas of white citrus. Creamy mouthfeel in the front of the palate, pear and white peach hit mid-palate, followed by citrusy lemon and lime. Crisp and clean a great spring and summer wine. My mouth is watering thinking about BBQ chicken (not one of ours), grilled corn and fresh veggies from our garden along with a glass of this chardonnay. Since grilling season has not officially begun we paired with Curried Goat.
Total Acidity – 0.60 grams/100ml
pH – 3.33
Residual Sugar – 0.38 grams/100ml
Alcohol – 13.5%
SRP – $13.99

Bonterra Zinfandel 2010
Spicy black pepper, black berry and raspberry aromas. Plum and black berry flavors with medium to high tannins and a black pepper finish provide a well balanced and delightful zin. We paired with home made Vietnamese Pho and spring rolls.
Total Acidity – 0.55 grams/100ml
pH – 3.73
Residual Sugar – 0.24 grams/100ml
Alcohol – 14.1%
SRP – $13.99

Both wines are crafted from certified organically grown grapes. So what does certified organically grown mean? It means allowing the wine to express the flavors of the grape and the terroir in which it’s grown. This may mean leaving the surrounding land untouched or it could be the addition of lavender and olive trees planted amongst the grapes. Now this is a vineyard I want to walk through with a big basket.
Bonterra also implores natural pest control, chickens. I can attest chickens are great at keeping the bug population in check. Sheep are the lawn mowers, munching stray grass in between the vines.

In addition Bonterra practices Biodynamic farming which is a compliment to organic practices. The belief is the land and animals are a single living organism. The approach uses holistic methods of caring for and nurturing the land focusing on composting, astronomy and manure. The goal is to restore, maintain and protect the land. Not a bad idea if you ask me.

I agree some of the methods are a little hokey but it would be fun to attend a ceremonial burying of the manure filled cow horns, referred to as Preparation 500.
Preparation 502 involves stuffing yarrow blossoms into urinary bladders from red deer laid in the sun during summer and buried in earth during winter only to be retrieved in the spring. All I can say is I’d rather have organic material fertilizing the land than anything from Monsanto.

As I listen to the wind howling and the temps dropping I’m reminded winter has not left us just yet. But spring is just around the corner and that means it’s planting time! I know where my husband will be this weekend; yep you’ll find him in the gardens.

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