We are so excited to announce (drum roll please….) that we have been approved for our liquor license at the store! We’ve gathered a curated selection of organic, vegan, and sulfite-free wines; local organic beer; certified gluten-free beer; and local craft ciders. You can see our entire current collection on our website here. It’s best viewed on a desktop to be able to search through the different categories, but on mobile phones there will be a small plus sign to click to show the different categories and the individual products for each.
Organic Wine & Beer Catalog
Organic, Vegan, & Sulfite-Free Wines
As someone who’s been a vegetarian for nearly 20 years, it’s kind of embarrassing that I’ve only just discovered in the past few weeks that wines could not be vegan (since they’re obviously not made from ham or what have you), but it turns out that most wines use animal products like gelatin, egg whites, the swim bladders of fish, or milk proteins in their production processes. The processing varies from winery to winery, but it’s generally not something that’s advertised (probably because the idea is definitely a turn off). Those animal products are used during something called the “fining” process, which helps to produce a “crystal clear” wine. Those animal products are removed before bottling, but many people (including me) would prefer to choose wines that do not use those animal products in their production. Additionally, people who are Jewish or Muslim may wish to choose a vegan wine since the types of gelatin used in the production are usually unknown.
Another thing we have looked for is for no sulfite-added wines. Sulfites are a type of preservative added to most wines. Some people aren’t bothered by added sulfites, but for others, sulfites can cause headaches. People with asthma can also occasionally have negative effects from sulfites. Everyone’s body is different, but I do feel better after drinking a sulfite-free wine when compared to conventional wines.
Our new wine section has special labels underneath each wine with a short description but also logos that denote if a wine is vegan or sulfite-free (90% of our wines are vegan and sulfite-free). Our wine list on our website (see our red wines here and our white wines here) also lists if a wine is vegan or has sulfites.
Local, Organic Beer
We also have a wonderful local organic line of beer that we’ve brought in called LaGrow that’s made in Chicago. They’re a small, family-owned business and we’re really glad to support them (plus their beer-especially their stout- is absolutely delicious). They were actually the first USDA Certified Organic Brewery in Chicago. We’ve talked to the LaGrow brothers are they are really nice people, so we’re thrilled to have their products at the store!
Gluten Free Beer
Conventional beer is made from wheat and barley, which is fine unless you are sensitive to gluten or have Celiac. There are a number of beers on the market that are called “gluten reduced” which add an enzyme that helps to break down some of the gluten in the beer, but those beers are still made from barley and wheat. The gluten-free beers that we’ve brought in are made from gluten-free ancient grains and have been certified to be gluten-free and safe for people with Celiac or wheat allergies.
I wasn’t sure what gluten-free beer would taste like, but after sampling them, I was impressed by how delicious they were! We will actually be sampling some of our gluten-free beer on Friday, December 3rd at the store from 5-8 and also at our ribbon-cutting event for the new section on Saturday, December 11th from 11-2 (click here for more information on the event and tastings).
Local Craft Cider
We wanted to sell a hard cider as another option for our gluten-free customers, and we found a local Chicago small cidery that we’ve brought in called Right Bee Cider. They have the cutest story:
“Boy meets girl. Boy makes cider to woo girl. Now he's right beside her. Right Bee Cider. What started as a romantic gesture grew into Chicago's FIRST cidery, owned and operated by a local husband and wife team. Small batches, small business, and a ton of love sent your way with every sip.”
Their ciders are absolutely delicious, so we’re really glad that we found them and have been able to connect with them to be able to carry their products!
See our entire catalog of organic and natural wine and beer (including pricing) here.
Note: If you’re on a mobile phone, click on the small “+” in the upper right-hand corner to see the different sections of the catalog.