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Drinking Responsibly

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_ on Oct 28, 2009 at 12:49PM

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Organic Wines 101

Although most people associate "organic" with food—fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, even chocolate—the term applies to more than just edibles. Thanks to improvements in organic winemaking over the past 20 years, eco-conscious oenophiles are now getting in on the action, too—without having to sacrifice quality or taste. While the selection of bottles available a few decades ago may have, um, soured some consumers on organic wines, today's market is a whole different story.

"We encourage anyone who has not recently purchased a wine made from organic grapes to go out and buy a bottle," says Colleen McCafferty, marketing coordinator for Organic Vintners in Colorado. "We're quite certain they will be pleasantly surprised."

Ready to give organic wine a chance (or second chance), but not sure what to look for at the wine store? Read on for the basics of understanding, shopping for and, most importantly, drinking organic wine.