The Altamaha Riverkeeper is partnering with its neighborhood wine shop, Darien Waterfront Wine and Gourmet, to celebrate Earth Day on April 21 with an organic wine tasting.  The tasting, from 6-8 p.m., will feature a selection of wines chosen to serve as examples that wines made from organic grapes without the use of herbicides and pesticides and using sustainable farming practices are greener, fuller, heartier and tastier.
“The wine shop overlooking the Darien River is a perfect spot to celebrate Earth Day and appreciate what’s special about our watershed. We will also learn how we can work together to make our world a healthier place to live,” Constance Riggins, ARK’s development director, said.
The owners of the wine shop, Mike Greenway and Russ Quarterman, recently expanded their selection of organic wine and all-natural food to meet growing demand. Greenway will give a short presentation at the party on the organic trend in the wine world.
“Many shoppers are buying organic wine because these vineyards use environmentally friendly practices and because it makes a better wine. It’s the right thing to do,” he said.
The legal definition of organic wine is a complex issue and varies from country to country but the primary difference relates to the use (or non-use) of preservatives during the wine-making process. Wine made with sustainably grown grapes means the wine is produced from vineyards that use environmentally sound practices to maintain the long-term health of the land instead of depleting it for short-term gain.
ARK operations director Bryce Baumgartner will recycle all the wine bottles from the party by giving them to his wife, Melissa, who will use them to expand a wine wall that she is building in their Ridgeville garden.
Join the Altamaha Riverkeeper for the event to learn more and support a healthy watershed at the same time.
Tickets for the organic wine tasting are $15 and include an ARK membership. Buy tickets before April 15 at the Altamaha Riverkeeper’s Darien office at 105 W. Broad St.; Darien Waterfront Wine and Gourmet at 107 Broad St.; online at www.altamahariverkeeper.org; or mail a check to the Altamaha Riverkeeper, P.O. Box 2642, Darien, GA, 31305.
Anyone who buys a ticket will be included in a drawing at the event for special prizes, such as a three-liter bottle of Graffigna Centenario Malbec, estate-bottled in 2008 from San Juan Argentina; a Waterfront Wine Grand Cru membership (a $ 100 value), which includes 12 complimentary wine tastings, 15 percent off all wine and gourmet food items once a month, unlimited 20 percent discounts on wine and food in the wine bar, complimentary use of the wine bar for private parties, enrollment in the 90+ point wine circle that features a monthly wine exclusive to club members at a 15 percent discount; Altamaha Riverkeeper caps; T-shirts; and memberships. Winners must be present to collect prizes.