Tom Mills & Adrienne Voboril
The Dirt on Clean Wine
Unsuspecting wine enthusiasts might assume one of the world’s oldest fermented beverages would be a simple elixir of grapes, yeast, and water blessed with a touch of sunshine. However, the juice of the gods has become anything but that. Over 70 “Generally Regarded As Safe” (GRAS) additives are legally allowed in wine. These include1:
Acacia (gum arabic): To clarify and to stabilize wine
Acetaldehyde: For color stabilization of juice prior to concentration
Albumen (egg white): Fining agent for wine
Alumino-silicates (hydrated) e.g., Bentonite (Wyoming clay) and Kaolin: To clarify and to stabilize wine or juice
Ascorbic acid iso-ascorbic acid (erythorbic acid): To prevent oxidation of color and flavor components of juice and wine
Copper sulfate: To remove hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptans from wine
Defoaming agents (polyoxyethylene 40 monostearate, silicon dioxide, dimethylpoly-siloxane, sorbitan monostearate, glyceryl mono-oleate and glyceryl dioleate): To control foaming, fermentation adjunct
Granular cork: To smooth wine
Isinglass: To clarify wine
Malo-lactic bacteria: To stabilize grape wine
Oak chips or particles, uncharred and untreated: To smooth wine
Potassium bitartrate: To stabilize grape wine
Yeast, cell wall/membranes of autolyzed yeast: To facilitate fermentation of juice/wine
These additives, coupled with no legal requirement to list ingredients on wine labels, means consumers are left in the dark. Worse, new celebrity and big corporate labels are trying to capitalize on current clean living and wellness trends by purposefully leading their drinkers astray with false marketing and promises of healthy wine.
After over a decade in the event wine sales business, we began to question not only how conventional wine was made, but also how the grapes were being farmed. At the end of the day, wine grapes are an agricultural product just like our other fruits and vegetables. Why should we not hold vineyard farming to the same standards as other organic produce? Would you like your wine with a note of Roundup? No, thank you!
At Evolve, we carefully vet all our wines based on a strict set of standards. We believe by using our consumer dollars to demand the need for a clean product, winemakers and farmers will be incentivized to uphold pristine growing practices and higher standards of sustainability that protect our communities and our planet.
You can support the growers and winemakers who are protecting our planet and your health with an Evolve Wine subscription.
Evolve Wines are:
Organically/biodynamically grown
Made with native yeast
Have no added sugars, GMOs or chemical additives
Paleo, Keto, and Vegan friendly
We use carbon neutral shipping. To top it all off, we’re proud members of 1% For the Planet, donating a portion of our annual revenue to environmental nonprofits.
Footnotes
1. Cornell Law
Tom Mills & Adrienne Voboril
Writers
As a brother and sister sommelier team, we began Evolve Wine after over a decade in the wine events industry. During that time we mostly worked with conventional wine producers, and grew increasingly more aware of the importance of wines created from sustainable farming practices with minimal intervention. We created Evolve Wine to champion these methods and bring these wines to others.
Being California natives, we value working with small family-run wineries that take care of their land, their workers, and their communities. We believe a bottle of wine is so much more than grapes and water: it is hard work and generations of stories meant to be shared with family and friends!
Mikiodo
Photographer
Mikiodo (Mike) is a photographer living in NYC. Originally from Buffalo, NY, he intended on becoming a geneticist until realizing his heart was in the arts. After 15 years as a graphic designer/production artist, Mike returned to his true passion, photography. Mostly self-taught, Mike’s photographic interest lies somewhere between documentary and fine art. He currently focuses on photographing portraits, construction, skyscapes, and the BLM movement, as well as his “pet project,” a fine art series entitled “FloraMUS” (“flower/mouse”). His photos have been featured by, The Stuttering Association for the Young, BroadwayCares, New York Historical Society Museum, and numerous musician projects and publications. Mike is also Creative Director and songwriter for Holidelic, an annual funk holiday show.
PFAs Contamination
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