There’s more to green wine than just using organic grapes. Wineries across the country are going to great lengths to make their products as sustainable as possible, from going carbon-neutral to growing their grapes using biodynamic processes. There’s a wealth of variety out there in the world of eco wine, and you don’t necessarily have to travel to Europe to taste it. Pop the cork and take a delicious tour of America’s green vino from California to New York.

Naturally, California is still the ultimate destination in America for tasting wine of any sort, and that includes organic, biodynamic and otherwise eco-friendly offerings. Throughout California wine country you’ll come across one green winery after another including many of the ones rated by Greenopia such as Bonterra Vineyards, Frog’s Leap and Grgich Hills.

Hop into a biodiesel-powered van and tour the eco wineries of Santa Barbara County with Sustainable Vine Wine Tours, which is committed to minimizing its environmental footprint while taking you to the region’s best  wineries including Alma Rosa Winery, Ampelos, Beckmen, Demetria, Sunstone and Presidio.

One of California’s most notable organic wineries is Frey Vineyards. Billing itself America’s first organic winery, Frey Vineyards combines the best of modern winemaking technology and eco-friendly methods with traditional winemaking techniques to produce a variety of award-winning organic and biodynamic wines. Tastings are available by appointment on weekdays in the shade of the winery’s towering oaks.

A little further north in Oregon you’ll find the Willamette Valley wine region, where a number of wineries produce salmon safe, organic and carbon neutral certified wines including some of America’s best Pinot Noirs. The Eco Wine Tour is a great way to explore the area, visiting 3-4 sustainable wineries, or you could go it alone. It’s estimated that nearly half of Oregon’s vineyards are sustainable or organic, so you could easily create your own customized tour. Don’t miss King Estate, Cooper Mountain Vineyards or Sokol Blosser.

In the Midwest, enjoy the simple life in a sustainable organic vineyard community rooted in new ruralism. Douglas Valley is Michigan’s first organic vineyard community, with 640 acres of organic farmland where organic grapes have been grown for decades. This fall will mark the first harvest of the new community’s Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir grapes. Every weekend, visitors can lounge on the breezy porch of the tasting house and listen to live music.

The climate on the East Coast isn’t generally very conducive to producing organic wine, but two intrepid winemakers have managed to make it work. The aptly named Villa Milagro Vineyards in New Jersey is located along the Delaware River with breathtaking views of the Warren Hills wine region and blends wines made from organically grown grapes including the velvety ‘Sombra’. Tours are available on weekends, or call to make an appointment for a private tasting.

On the western shore of Seneca lake in New York you can take a trip back in time on a Civil War-era estate that is home to Four Chimneys, which also bills itself as America’s first organic winery. Four Chimneys has a tasting room in a restored dairy barn with huge oak timbers and a view of the lake, the perfect place to enjoy its vegan, pesticide-free offerings.

Of course, if you do want to fly to France or Italy, there are eco wine tours available there as well. Spend three days walking the organic vineyards of the idyllic Dordogne Valley, with tastings at four organic wine estates, picnic lunches and lodging at a luxury guest house. In Italy, you have the option of riding in a low emissions vehicle or strolling through Tuscan vineyards on foot while exploring wines produced by estates that adopt environmentally friendly, organic or biodynamic winemaking techniques.

>> Check out Greenopia's Food and Beverage Guide for a complete listing of wines!