Terlato Wine Group :: Gourmet Goes Green: Study Confirms Luxury Wanted With Good Conscience

Of those, 92.5 percent said they would be more likely to purchase a luxury wine if it used sustainable techniques in growing the grapes and crafting the wine. One company taking note of that sentiment is Terlato Wine Group, owner of wineries in Napa, Sonoma and Santa Barbara, Calif.,

Chimney Rock, Rutherford Hill and Sanford. From growing the grapes, to crafting the wine, to creating a healthy environment for their workers, to using recycled shipping materials, Terlato believes small steps can add up to make a genuine difference. In fact, Doug Fletcher, Terlato's head winemaker, is interested in looking at the whole.

To me, sustainability means we should look at all the things that we do and how those things affect the eco-system." Fletcher warns against assuming organic or biodynamic mean more eco-friendly. He says many vineyards spray grapes with sulfur to protect against mildew because sulfur is naturally occurring and thus adheres to organic guidelines. However, Fletcher says that when sprayed, sulfur can kill all kinds of beneficial insects. Terlato does not spray with sulfur, but instead uses a targeted compound that works on mildew alone and doesn't harm insects.

It's man-made, and two times more expensive than sulfur, but in the end, Fletcher believes it's better for the environment. Gourmet food is also going green -- the right way.

If we consider the environment when buying organic veggies and antibiotic-free chicken, it only makes sense to consider the environment when purchasing luxury items, like caviar. The Little Pearl, a Massachusetts-based caviar purveyor, developed a technology to farm fish on land in greenhouses.

By doing so, it alleviates the pressure on wild fisheries, reduces the amount of feed necessary to farm caviar, and helps protect endangered sturgeon in other parts of the world. When asked if sustainability means sacrificing quality, The Little Pearl's founder and CEO, Richard Brauman, says quite the contrary.

To me, fresh and sustainable caviar is more luxurious than traditional caviar because when a customer indulges in the exquisite experience of eating it on blini with creme fraiche and champagne, they no longer have to worry about health or the environment." Like Brauman, Joe Whinney, the CEO founder of an organic and fair trade-certified gourmet chocolate company called Theo Chocolate, believes social responsibility only enhances his product.

There's no luxury in products that harm many and harm the environment in order to satisfy an elite few," he says. Some cocoa farmers earn less than a dollar a day. How can you enjoy a three or four dollar bonbon knowing others are being harmed?" All marketing terminology and scientific jargon aside, going green is really very simple. It's about the environment.

Sustainable, organic or biodynamic, we all want to head to the same spot," Fletcher says. The objective is to leave the environment in which we find ourselves in better condition than we found it." Issuers of news releases and not PR Newswire are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content. Terms and conditions, including restrictions on redistribution, apply. Copyright © 1996-2008 PR Newswire Association LLC.

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