When you hear the words “sustainable wine,” what comes to mind? Solar panels on a winery roof? Organic grapes? Maybe a bottle made from lighter glass? Those are certainly pieces of the puzzle. But sustainability in wine is much bigger and much more interesting than a list of environmentally friendly practices. At its heart, sustainable winegrowing is about finding a way to produce high-quality grapes and wine while protecting the land, the people who work it, and the communities that depend on it. The Wine Institute describes sustainable winegrowing as environmentally sound, socially equitable, and economically viable. Those three ideas—environmental health, social equality, and economic vitality—are the foundation.
Virginia wine has enjoyed a remarkable run of international recognition over the past several years. Most recently, wineries from the Commonwealth, particularly those in the Monticello AVA, made headlines after blind tastings once again placed Virginia wines alongside some of France’s best. For many, it felt like another “Judgment of Paris.” Whether it surprised anyone depended largely on which side of the Atlantic they were standing.
Back in April of 2025, the City Vino Wine Cru received bottles from the land of Texas with a question. Who produced wine first? Was it Viginia or was it Texas? You would think this would be an easy answer. We Virginians are pretty proud of our viticulture. But that month we spent some time on diving into Cortes’s adventures defeating the Aztecs in 1521, sort of (Montezuma’s Revenge). The Jesuits and Franciscan monks followed, proselytizing, trying to make Christians out of everyone working their way form Cozumel to eventually, like 100 years it took them, to the western side of Texas, then New Mexico, Arizona, and up into California planting the mission grape, Pais. Why 100 years to get from Cozumel to Texas?
The Basque Country, straddling northern Spain and southwestern France along the Bay of Biscay, is a region defined by contrasts that somehow resolve into coherence: Ancient language and cutting-edge cuisine, rugged fishing villages and avant-garde architecture, deep rural tradition and global culinary influence.
The wine world has often told a very specific story about who wine belongs to. Historically, that story has been European, white, and rooted in centuries-old traditions that rarely made room for voices outside that culture. For many people of color entering the industry, the message was often subtle, but clear: Wine wasn’t really for you—or if it was, it belonged in sweeter, simpler, cheaper forms.
