What’s on the label? By
In addition to delicious coffee and our fresh locavore menu we offer a list of wines for your sipping enjoyment. Like our food we look for sensible alternatives to the sulfite laced jug wines of the world.
We look for labels that are “organic”. If you see a label that advertises “made from organic grapes” it may be a good wine but not necessarily organic. A true organic wine is made with grapes grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides and contains no additives. Many vintners use additives such as oak chips to enhance flavors and sulfites to help stabilize wines.
Many vintners are also now looking at sustainable farming. They are using natural composting in lieu of chemical fertilizing, and often grow corollary plants. These other plants offer two surprising benefits: they attract insects that benefit the vines and offer food for little critters that might enjoy noshing on some grapes. Some growers go so far as to use bio-fuel or mule teams for plowing and planting.
We also have an affinity for “biodynamic” wines. Biodynamics started with Rudolf Steiner, considered by many to be a father of the organic movement. Way back in the 20’s he began to extol the idea of a farm as a living, breathing interconnected system. He taught that every part of a farm had a purpose and each purpose had a corollary benefit or cost to another part of the farm. He emphasized the use of natural composts and recycling of nutrients back into the soil. Our kind of guy.
In addition to a wide variety of OBS (Organic, Biodynamic, Sustainable) labels we also offer a slice of Virginia wines (in keeping with our locavore mentality). You can join us for Wine Wednesdays the first and third Wednesday of each month or hop on in for a sampling at your leisure! Cheers!
