March 2023                                                         Clean

As Slow Food East Bay supporters (and drinkers), we can easily rally behind Slow Wine’s principle that wine, just as with food, must be good, clean, and fair — not just delicious.

Many winemakers today are facing the demand to prioritize sustainability at the heart of what they do, from conserving biodiversity to paying overtime to farmworkers. And while some may be capitalizing off “greenwashed wine”, at its core, wine is still an agricultural product; so here's a reminder that what we eat and drink has an impact on our environment and community.

We invite you to stay curious about what’s in your glass and the who, where, and how behind how it got there.

Where to start? Each year, Slow Food puts out a Slow Wine Guide which evaluates over 400 different wineries that respect and reflect their local terroir and practice sustainable methods that benefit the environment to give them an official Slow Wine Seal. Sonoma County Winegrowers highlight those prioritizing environmental, economic, and social indicators, such as healthcare and training for employees and being mindful neighbors and community members. Check out the list of female winemakers “Changing How We Drink”, or what's next for sustainable wine in Sonoma!

And winemakers right here in the East Bay, from West Berkeley's Gilman Wine District to outer Richmond to downtown Oakland, are also focused on sourcing sustainably and improving working conditions while producing fantastic wines with minimal intervention.

Who are some of your favorite winemakers, wine shops, or wineries? Send us an email, we’d love to know! 

We'll cheers to that,
The Slow Food East Bay Team

RESOURCES

📰 Read

Will Climate Change Help Hybrid Grapes Take Root in the US Wine Industry?
“As wine-growing regions are projected to shrink by as much as 56 percent around the world, costs are going up, and the world’s wine map is set to change radically, the Heritage Grape Project sees hybrids as helping local viticulturists grow grapes in both an ecologically and economically sound manner.

The French Colonization of Algeria and the Untold History of the French Appellation System
“...for the natives [of Algeria], many of them faced starvation as a result of settler viticulture and wine became an active instrument of their oppression and hunger.”

🎧 Listen 

Whetstone Media, Point of Origin Episode 23: “Wine of Volcano and Sea”
“Wine has been produced in the canaries for over 500 years…but until very recently, it wasn’t something that people were necessarily proud of. Now, I think that’s changing because there’s a new generation of winemakers who are doing amazing things.”

Cork Dork: Inside the Weird World of Wine Appreciation” Gastropod looks at food through the lens of science and history 
“If you are the type of person who licks rocks to train your palate, if you’re the type of person who may divorce your spouse so you can spend more time studying wine flashcards, or if you’re the kind of person that calls what you do a blood sport with corkscrews, you are a cork dork.”

📅  UPCOMING EVENTS

Slow Food East Bay Potluck 
RSVP here 
Date: Thursday March 9th
Time: 5:30 - 8:00pm
Location: West Berkeley (address to be shared upon RSVP)
Come celebrate the many glories of GREENS! Anything goes in our gathering of greens, from beet greens to spinach to chard, or maybe even fennel fronds! Join us for an evening of community connection and conversation while enjoying delicious food. Please share with friends who may have never heard of Slow Food before, we'd love to meet them!

BioFuel Oasis Seed Share 101
RSVP here
Date: Saturday March 11th
Location: BioFuel Oasis 1441 Ashby Avenue Berkeley, CA 
Start your spring seeds now! Novella from Biofuel Oasis will give a step-by-step guide to planting your garden seeds--flowers, veg, and herbs. 

Calçot Festival at the Oakland Yard
Tickets here
Date: Sunday March 12th
Time: 1:00 - 5:00pm
The calçot, a cross between a spring onion and leek, is a treasured part of Catalan cuisine, and is celebrated across the region during winter season to early spring. Check it out at Oakland Yard’s first Catalan-style Calçotada! There will be great music and great food, loads of wine, beer, and spanish cider - grilled leeks and romesco by chef Carlo Espinas, grilled sausages by Crossman Meats, desserts by Marykate McGoldrick’s Sesame Tiny Bakery.

Slow Food East Bay’s Annual Community Gathering
RSVP here
Date: Sunday March 26th
Time: 3:30 - 6:30pm
Save The Date! Plan to join us for our Annual Community Gathering at Hammerling Wines in West Berkeley.  A $5 reservation fee will hold your spot. 100% of proceeds will be donated to a local food systems organization.
Hear about our accomplishments and challenges from the last few bumpy years, meet our volunteer leadership team, and learn what’s on the menu for 2023. And you’ll have a chance to share, too! Come with thoughts on those we should be championing, partnering with, and engaging in Slow Food projects and campaigns in the future
The gathering will be a potluck, once you reserve your space you’ll receive more information. We will be providing the libations, of course! 


As a reminder, you can find all the East Bay Food Systems events on the SFEB public events Google calendar. Make sure you subscribe! And If you want to submit a community event to be featured, please fill out this form.

🐌 CALL TO ACTION

Transparency, Traceability, Trust
Who grows our grapes and how? Who makes the wine and how? How far is it coming from? In Slow Food’s Slow Wine, we believe that we can both enjoy eating and drinking while also holding thoughts of sustainability, equity, and justice in the wine world
Wine is delicious! Drink better wine!