Where to find Australia’s best sustainable alcohol
IMAGE VIA @NOTWASTED_/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY MAGENTA PORTER
Environmentally friendly beers, wines and spirits.
In 2021 we are continually choosing the more sustainable option when it comes to what we wear, what we consume and how we commute. In Australia alone, one in three people are reducing their meat intake, and millennials are leading the way, making up 61 per cent of the total vegetarian population.
We are choosing compostable coffee pods, opting for locally grown produce, buying in bulk and phasing out single-use plastics. A completely sustainable dinner party is now possible, in fact, it’s becoming the norm. But there’s one item on the table (an essential, I would argue) that is nowhere near as climate-friendly as your vego pièce de résistance main course – your choice of drop.
For more sustainable Australian companies and brands, check out our Life vertical.
In fact, making more conscious choices when it comes to what you drink is perhaps one of the easiest changes you can make towards leading a more sustainable lifestyle, yet, it’s taking us a while to make the switch.
Alcohol, in all of its festive fabulousness, delivers the taste of worlds far away straight into your mouth. A refreshing mojito can instantly send you to Mexico, a decent glass of bubbles to France, and a fresh beer straight to your own backyard on a sunny day. The only catch is that foreign alcohol is imported, and that means air miles, which increases your carbon footprint.
Traditionally, alcohol production is not exactly sustainable. Wheat, grapes, barley – they all take up a lot of agricultural space to grow, and the production of the final product doesn’t happen overnight. But never fear, thankfully we live in one of the most prosperous climates for the creation of your chosen drink.
That’s right, it’s time to look locally when choosing your next bev. Here in Australia, we have a plethora of sustainable, locally crafted alcohol brands, with a range of beer, wine and spirits makers opting for a more carbon-neutral production process, all without compromising on taste, or price.
Making the switch to a greener, more environmentally friendly alcohol choice has never been easier. To celebrate, I’ve rounded up a list of some of the best sustainable, thirst-quenching options for your next trip to the bottle-o.
Wine
Aris Natural Wine Co.
From the Southern Highlands in NSW, Ari’s Natual Wines produces a range of fun, natural wines by hand. The family-owned business uses no electricity or pumps to produce its selection, under the guiding premise of “nothing added, nothing taken away”. Ari’s wines are all wild, fermented, unfiltered, unrefined and have no added sulphur, so you can consume a bottle of Pash & Pop without the headache caused by a very similar sounding beverage (if you can even call it that) from your youth.
Notwasted
View this post on Instagram
If you’re looking for a place to buy a sustainable bottle of vino or three, Notwasted is the website for you. For same-day delivery in Sydney and next day delivery options for Melbourne, it’s a no-brainer. All Notwasted wines stem from biodynamic or organic origins, and the company itself aims to be completely carbon neutral by 2024. So if pet nats in sunset hues and wine bottles that double as decor are your thing, check it out.
The Hidden Sea
The Hidden Sea is so much more than just a good drop of vino – with every bottle of wine sold, the company pledges to remove ten plastic bottles from our oceans and rivers. Its grapes are grown on a unique vineyard site in South Australia, that has an ancient whale fossil buried beneath it, contributing to the richness and fertility of the soil of the plot. The company aims to remove 1 billion single-use plastic bottles from the ocean by 2030. This goal, combined with their range of sustainable practices, makes a Hidden Sea wine one of the most guilt-free glasses you’ll ever devour.
Unico Zelo
View this post on Instagram
Leading the way in sustainable wine production, Unico Zelo is crafting wines for a new generation of drinkers in Australia. This wine company is extremely transparent when it comes to its sustainability initiatives, so much so that it has its entire company’s sustainability tracker open for public viewing. As a Certified B Corporation, Unico Zelo meets the highest standards of social and environmental impact in Australia. And to top it off, the wines don’t only taste good but will look amazing on your dinner table set up.
Beer
Stone & Wood
This Byron Bay-based Certifed B Corporation ensures your clock-off beers are eco friendly. Stone & Wood has its heart set on making beer a force for good – reducing energy and water consumption rates in the production process to be in line with the most efficient 25 per cent of the world’s independent brewers. In 2020, the company even went as far as producing a recycled water beer for World Water Day. If that isn’t a commitment to the cause, I don’t know what is.
4 Pines Beer
4 Pines is making a conscious effort to reduce the impact it has on the environment so that beer can continue to be brewed naturally for years to come. By shrinking its water usage, aiming to be completely powered by renewables by 2022, and repurposing the waste generated from the production process by converting yeast into a renewable fuel source, the company is well on its way to a sustainable frothie-filled future.
Spirits
Manly Spirits Co.
Inspired by Sydney’s Northern Beaches, the Manly Spirits Co. not only produces delicious spirits for every occasion but is big on sustainability and waste reduction. The botanicals used to infuse the range are sustainability sourced, from First Nations growers and local farmers. Spent grain used to make its single malt whisky is repurposed by Aussie farmers for feed, lemons leftover from limoncello are used by a local juicing company, raspberries used to make its Lilly Pilly Pink Gin are made into raspberry gin jam – I could go on. Every element of the process has been consciously thought through, with sustainability front of mind.
Natural Distilling Co.
View this post on Instagram
Nestled in the heart of Gippsland, Victoria, the Natural Distilling Co. prides itself on growing and distilling its spirits locally. Made out of hemp, one of the most beneficial, sustainable, environmentally friendly crops in the world, the Natural Distilling Co’s gin and vodka range will be your next go-to for any and every cocktail.
Antipodes Gin Co.
The old G&T is a summer classic and a personal favourite of mine, so when it comes to picking your next go-to gin, make a more sustainable choice. Antipodes Gin is Australia’s first certified organic and carbon neutral gin and is free from chemicals and pesticides. Antipodes distills its gin using 100 per cent renewable electricity in Canberra, infusing a range of native Australian ingredients to create bold botanical flavours. And if gin isn’t your thing, Antipodes also produces a number of other spirits and liqueurs to suit whatever cocktail you have in mind.
To find out more about the importance of sustainability in alcohol production, head here.
Liked this? You’ll love these...
