Bonterra Merlot
2019, California
A brilliant crimson hue in the glass hints at this Merlot’s generous palate of rich, ripe red fruit. Notes of strawberry and pomegranate are framed by a subtle suggestion of dried herbs. This medium-bodied wine has an elegant tannin structure and a velvety finish.
Made with organically grown grapes.
$12.99 / BOTTLE
$6.00 / GLASS
Elizabeth Drake
Bonterra
Winemaking is an enterprise defined by the future. Vines that are planted now will slowly mature and bear fruit over time, fruit that will age in casks and bottles before finally being uncorked and enjoyed. And while all winemakers must look to the future and plan years ahead, Fetzer and its Bonterra Vineyards label has spent decades finding ways to make that future a better place.
Fetzer Vineyards has been a sustainability pioneer since the 1980s. For over two decades, the company has developed practices that are environmentally-friendly, socially responsible and economically viable. In 1990, Fetzer had the idea to create a 100 percent organic wine label – Bonterra Vineyards – and in 1992 that idea came to fruition when the first wine under the Bonterra label was released. Since then, Bonterra has become the number one selling brand of wines in the US that is made with organic grapes.
Elizabeth Drake is one of Bonterra’s sustainability specialists, a role she landed almost immediately after graduating from Cornell University. For Drake, the job was the perfect storm of her combined passions and studies—she could apply her knowledge from school in the sustainability field while also making an exciting leap into the California wine industry. At only 22 years old, it was a dream come true.
