Our eco-friendly policies:

At Sip...a wine store, it is our mission to be your destination for delicious, eco-friendly wines and beverages at affordable prices,  all while minimizing our carbon footprint.

We have a number of eco-friendly policies:

• Each customer will receive a six-bottle wine bag on arrival. Sip…a wine store will not be offering paper bags.
• We will be giving six-bottle and case discounts to customers that bring back their own bag or box!
• Our tasting glasses are intended for customers to take home and bring back to the store.  You can also bring your own.

And there's more:

• 80 percent of our store's interior is comprised of the original materials.
• All of our updates were made with water and energy conservation in mind, e.g. we are equipped with energy star appliances, water saving facilities and a tank-less water heater.
• All of our interior paints are VOC free and the chalk board paint is low-VOC.
• All of our wine cabinets are from the Habitat for Humanity resale store.
• The display tables were built by Steve Peters Designs using old doors and reclaimed wood.
• Additional display tables and vintage baskets were purchased from Southern Portico Antiques in Durham.
• Yes, we recycle. Please bring us your glass, paper and plastic. We also recycle corks!
• Our business cards are printed on recycled paper and printed with soy-based ink by Barefoot Press Printing, an Eco-friendly printer in Raleigh, NC.
• When printing in the store, we use both sides of our Post-consumer recycled paper. All of our price tags are produced from 60% post consumer waste. We purchase all of our printer ink from Rapid Refill. The ink cartridges can be refilled and recycled.
• All of our cleaning products come from Shaklee. Founded in 1956, Shaklee is the first company in the world to be Climate Neutral™ certified to totally offset its greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in a net-zero impact on the environment. Shaklee has quietly led the way in environmental stewardship and support of social causes for 50 years. The products are concentrated, so a little goes a long way. They are organic, nontoxic, biodegradable surfactant cleaners and extremely reliable.
• Sip…a wine store has filled the store with spider plants. Spider plants are an inexpensive and ecologically sound way of filtering toxins from your home or office.

Biodynamic Wine

Biodynamic wines are produced in accordance with the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner. Steiner developed his agricultural ideas in the early 1900’s. Farmers were beginning to notice a decline in soil and food quality with increased use of synthetic and ammonia-based fertilizers. Steiner viewed farms as unique living systems and developed methods of pest control and soil enhancement that supported the inherent land life cycles. He also asked farmers to observe their own farms closely to determine how best to deter pests and build fertility. Steiner’s approach developed a strong following and has since been labeled biodynamic.

Biodynamic farming could be called the mother of organic farming. Both approaches follow similar principles of natural pest control and soil conservation, but biodynamic farming embraces a more complex view of the farm in relation to the local environment, as well as the planet, and has specific guidelines for the daily management of the soil, compost, and fields. Biodynamic Farmers consider their plots of land part of a local ecosystem, which are part of a larger bioregion, which is linked and influenced by the whole planet and the universe in which it sits and spins. A biodynamic farmer works with the seasons, as well as changes in the moon, to determine the best time to plant, prune, dust for bugs, etc… Cover crops and farm animals provide natural weed control and fertilizer, plant, and other wastes from the farm are converted to compost. The farm is managed so the inputs of fertility and the outputs of produce are recycled. Biodynamic wines impart more unique flavors from their different soils and grape varieties.

Organically Grown

Organically grown grapes are raised without the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers, or synthetic chemicals in the soil or on the vines. Mined minerals, natural extracts and derivatives can be applied. If the label reads "Certified Organically Grown Grapes," then additional strict rules govern the winemaking process and storage conditions of all imported and domestic wines. During the wine making process, there is little or no manipulation with such technologies as reverse osmosis, excessive filtration, and flavor additives. Usually fermentation takes place with the use of wild yeasts instead of the cultured varieties. Organic winemakers are not allowed to use the various chemical substances commonly found in conventional wineries to make or modify their wines.

Organic Wine

In the US, organic wines are made from 100% certified organic grapes, bottled in certified organic facilities with no added sulfites. In order to be certified organic, wine must contain less than 10 parts per million (ppm) total sulfites, in addition to being grown and bottled following organic standards. If the wine is organic, but contains more than the allowable limit of sulfites, the label must state “made with organic grapes” rather than “certified organic” and must always say “contains sulfites.” Organic winemaking standards, as adopted by the USDA, limit the use of sulfites to 100ppm in all finished products. However, most organically grown wines contain less than 40ppm of sulfites.

Organic wine proponents feel sulfites interfere with the natural aging process of wine and can mask flavor molecules. Organic farming, like biodynamic farming, can reflect naturally more unique characteristics of the many grape varietals, as well as soil. In the European Union there is no legal definition of 'organic wine' and the term is not allowed on labels. Legally, in the EU, organic wine does not exist, but wine may be made using organically grown grapes. This does not mean that no chemicals were added during the winemaking process. The grapes may have been organic but the winemaking methods were not. The term 'natural wine' has been adopted for wines that have been made in the EU with no manipulation or additives, including added sugars or yeasts. The sulphite content of the wine must not contain more than 10 mg/l for a red wine and no more than 25 mg/l for a white.

Certification: It is important to know that not all biodynamic and organic wines are certified. It is labor intensive and expensive and some wineries choose not to pursue it. Oftentimes, these wineries will explain their farming practices in their marketing programs or on their websites.

Sulfites

Sulfites are a natural byproduct of fermentation. Fermenting yeasts, present on all grape skins, generate naturally occurring sulfites in amounts ranging from 6 to 40ppm. Totally sulfite-free wines are therefore an accident of nature but wines low in sulfites or free of added sulfites do exist.

Sulfur is used as a preservative in winemaking. To prevent wine spoilage, European winemakers pioneered the use of sulfur dioxide (SO2) two hundred years ago. Unfortunately, freshly pressed grape juice has a tendency to oxidize and spoil due to contamination from bacteria and wild yeasts present on the grape skins. Not only does sulfur dioxide inhibit the growth of molds and bacteria, but it also stops oxidation (browning) and preserves the wine's natural flavor.

Although technical advances permit the industry to add much less sulfur, some winemakers and enology professors concur that to make a consistently stable wine, some sulfites must be added to those naturally present, which are not chemically active. Sulfite agents, when properly handled and kept to reasonable levels, are not intrinsically toxic to humans or to the environment, and many feel they are essential in order to prevent oxidation or bacterial spoilage. Therefore, American and European organic winemaking standards allow for the addition of strictly regulated amounts of SO2. The legal limit in wine is 350ppm; however, most wines with added sulfites contain less (25-150ppm).

Sulfites also exist in a wide variety of products at levels that are comparable to, or in excess of, the concentration that is found in wine. The presence of sulfites ranging from 6 to 6000ppm is found in products such as fruit juices, dried fruits, fruit concentrates, syrups, sugar, jams, gelatins, cake toppings, baked goods, pizza dough, frozen and dehydrated potatoes, processed vegetables, cheeses, as well as in many prescription drugs.

At this time both the US and the EU regulations require that all wine and beer exceeding 10ppm of sulfites bear the mention "Contains Sulfites" on their label. Wines that contain less than 10ppm of sulfites are not required to do it and can state "Free of Added Sulfites" if that is the case.

The FDA claims .4% of the population, or about a million people, are considered highly allergic to sulfites. Sulfites pose no danger to about 99.75% of the population; the highest risk group is asthmatics.

Many people have a low tolerance for sulfites. They are considered sulfite-sensitive. Even for moderate wine drinkers, the average level of sulfites found in many commercial wines can cause heartburns or other side effects. Unpleasant reactions include burning sensations, hives, cramps, and flushing of the skin. For them, organically grown wines are an especially good choice since they contain minimal amounts of sulfites that will in most cases lie below their threshold level.

Sustainable Viticulture

There is no legal definition of ‘sustainable viticulture.'  Basically it means that the grapes were grown with minimal chemical treatments and energy use. Industrially produced chemicals are only used when they are absolutely required, such as to combat disease in the vineyard. In France, they call it 'Agriculture Raisonee' which translates to 'reasoned' or 'thought through.' While many conventional vineyards apply chemicals systematically to prevent pests and diseases, a sustainable vineyard will use it only as, when, and where necessary. There is a greater respect for the environment, but the viability of the vineyard is also an important consideration.

Sustainable viticulture integrates three main goals: environmental stewardship, farm profitability, and prosperous farming communities. These goals have been defined by a variety of disciplines and may be looked at from the vantage point of the farmer or the consumer. Sustainable agriculture refers to agricultural production that can be maintained without harming the environment. It has been defined as follows: “...an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term:

• Satisfy human food and fiber needs
• Enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends
• Make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls
• Sustain the economic viability of farm operations
• Enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.

Vegan Wine

There are no animal products in a bottle of wine; still some animal derivatives may be used in the process of fining, or clarifying a wine. Fining agents pick up solid matter in a barrel of wine and eventually sink to the bottom of the container. The clarified wine is siphoned off the top, leaving the fining agent and solid residue behind. Casein, egg whites and fish proteins are sometimes used to fine wine. No animal protein is left in the wine; its use is objectionable to some people. Bentonite clay, hydrolyzed wheat gluten isolate and pea protein isolate are the fining agents used in wine that bears a vegan label.

Carbon Neutral

Carbon neutrality, or having a net zero carbon footprint, refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset, or buying enough carbon credits to make up the difference. In order for a winery to be 'carbon neutral' it must first measure all carbon emissions created during grape growing, winemaking, and delivery of the wine, and then either reduce their carbon output by using environmentally friendly methods or balance it out by implementing programs such as tree planting or investing in other carbon-friendly techniques. Bottling wine in lighter glass bottles is another way of decreasing the carbon footprint created in the delivery of wine. There are currently 7 carbon neutral wineries in the world.