Living in California it’s easy to get into the habit of having an inexpensive glass of wine with dinner. At the moment there is such an abundance of wineries that it is easy to find inexpensive and tasty bottles. Yet wine growing regions such as California’s Napa Valley may already be endangered. There is growing evidence that global warming  be influencing grape growing regions. Places that were never warm enough to grow grapes before are beginning finding that a small difference in seasonal temperature makes a big difference in their harvest. Wannborga Vineyard is one of the first organic wineries in Sweden. Sweden is not an area traditionally known for their wines, but in recent years Wannborga has been experimenting with growing 40 different varieties of grapes to find which are best adapted to grow in a colder climate.

In Spain makers of “cava” sparkling wine are doing their best to adapt to climate change. The traditional sparkling wine is more vulnerable than other varieties to rising temperatures. In response wine makers are changing their cultivation practices, harvesting rain water to use during longer periods of drought, and even harvesting earlier in the season or at night. No one knows how successful these practices will be.

Luckily, wineries in the American West are doing well for now. Increasingly wineries are choosing to “go green” by growing organic, biodynamically, or with respect for workers rights. Benziger Winery, in the Sonoma mountains grows their grapes biodynamically. Biodynamic cultivation practices are more They were recently featured on the Sundance Show, “Big Ideas for a Small Planet.”Even the big networks and national magazines are starting to cover sustainable living options. Newsweek Magazine is now covering organic and biodynamic wines.

On the fair trade front, you can now support farm workers and their families, who are often the most severely affected by unsustainable practices by California’s large vineyards, by purchasing Black Eagle Wines.

For those of you who like the occasional martini, Qino One Vodka is not only organic and fairtrade, but also the only vodka I have ever heard of made from quinoa, the superfood of the Incas. I love to eat quinoa. It seems sort of a waste to distill it.