review: sustainable wines uk

I love wine. 
As in I love it so much I have dedicated apps on my phone to store and rate all the type of wines I have tasted. I’m not a self declared expert but I really appreciate it enough to be able to tell bad from good wine. So this time we are putting the wines from Sustainable Wines UK to the test. Before we dive in we caught up with a representative from the brand behind the wines to discuss their brand and vision. Continue reading for the full review...

Q: What is the background of sustainable wines uk
A: I started Sustainable Wines UK towards the end of 2014 as I was enthusiastic about finding Ōhau, the newest wine region in NZ. I loved their intensely aromatic wines and wanted to help the UK market to discover them. I called the company Sustainable Wines because I feel very strongly that we need to be taking positive steps in all our consumer choices to enable this planet, our home, to be kept healthy to sustain future generations. My catalogue contains only wines that are sustainably-certified, organic, biodynamic or natural (organically/biodynamically grown but not certified). These wines are free from harmful chemicals and low in or free from sulphites, to which many people are sensitive or allergic. So by choosing to drink such wines, we are contributing to keeping the earth and ourselves healthier long-term.

Q: In what way are the wines sustainable?
A: Sustainability is essentially about respect for the environment and continually reducing environmental resources that you take in order to make wine, and adding in more than you take out. NZ Winegrowers has a video which explains it well. They provide the annual sustainability certification for 94% of NZ vineyards and have 9 key pillars of sustainability on which the audit is judged: biodiversity, soil, water, air, energy, chemicals (or not using of), by-products, people, business 

Q: What's next in the plans for sustainable wines future?
A: What’s next is that we are looking for more UK distributors for our Ohau wines, and more consumers who want to discover this exciting new NZ wine region.
The two wines we are testing are by Woven Stone and they’re produced in New Zealand by Ohau. I tried the Sauvignon Blanc and the Pinot Gris. Although I tend to stick to the red wine category this was a pleasant change to exploring some white wine options that are both reasonably priced and delicious. 

Lets start with the Pinot Gris. Described as flavoured with yellow peach, mango and floral this opens fruity and is smoothly blended. Sometimes I find that white wines have a certain bitterness that makes it difficult to swallow but this felt glides down like a soft drink despite having . Its also favourable in Korea having won numerous awards there over the years. The second wine is the Sauvignon Blanc. This one was definitely distinctly more dry. Perfect to pair with fish or if youre vegetarian, with antipasti. Although I enjoyed this wine if I would to chose I would chose the first more fruity option but thats a taste preference.

Pros of Sustainable Wines UK: You can still enjoy a drink or two whilst being sustainable and not compromising quality ! If you serve this at a dinner party no one would be able to that that there is something different about his wine compared to non sustainable options. Also makes a wonderful gift

Cons of Sustainable Wines UK: At the time of writing this they are only available in The UK.

Sustainable Wines UK