Slow Food believes that wine, just as with food, must be good, clean, and fair — not just good.  In fact, the first Slow Food events were centered on wine, specifically wines of the Piemontese region, home of the headquarters of Slow Food International.  

In conventional wine production, pesticides, herbicides, and excessive water consumption are commonplace.  To focus on wineries promoting land stewardship as the foundation of their sustainability efforts, The Slow Wine Coalition was started as a movement within Slow Food. It brings together everyone involved in the international wine chain, from farmers and viticulturalists to distributors and sommeliers.

Every year, a Slow Wine Guide is published, and a Slow Wine Tasting in celebration of the guide occurs in various cities across the United States and Italy. The 2024 Slow Wine USA Guide is a guide to 400+ wineries from California, Oregon, New York, and Washington.  I was fortunate enough to attend the tasting and the unveiling of the 2024 guide in Washington, DC at District Winery, where I was able to meet, mingle, and taste from 70+ sustainable Italian and US wineries.  I especially enjoyed the Proseccos from Asolo, Italy.

Reviewers for the guide visit all cellars and consider the wine quality, adherence to terroir, and value for money.  Each estate’s production methods are carefully studied. Small-scale producers from Italy and the United States using traditional techniques, working with respect for the environment, and safeguarding heirloom and heritage grape varieties are supported and promoted through the guide and international tour.  Each winery review is divided into three sections: the first one is dedicated to the people who live and work at the winery, the second to the vineyards and the way they’re farmed, and the third to three of their best wines.  To ensure that the guide is accessible, it includes everyday wines that are approachable and affordable. 

What can you do to contribute to good, clean, fair wine?

• Purchase The 2024 Slow Wine USA Guide here
• Encourage your local stores to carry the wines featured in the guide
• If possible, support these wineries directly 

By Jennifer Dolan