Empowering Wine Lovers’ Health Choices and Tasting Adventures
For years, sommelier Leslee Miller observed that clients and friends were seeking healthier wine options, but they were perplexed by wine’s most recent buzz words (vegan, natural, green, clean + organic); frustrated at the lack of retailers that offer healthy, affordable and delicious wines; and confused about or disappointed by bulk-labeled wine clubs.
They genuinely wanted to drink well, learn more about their palates and wine, and support the farmers behind the actual labels. But they struggled to find a brand that was a champion for these interests.
And so, Leslee created Sip Better: Better for All Wine. Better for you, better for the planet, better for wine growing communities.
Sip Better: Feel Good, Do Good and Drink Smart
Sip Better is a national wine club dedicated to Better-for-You wine. Sip Better supports only family owned, small, international wine growers, who are committed to farming via sustainable,...
Photo: via Meinklang
*This post is part of our Grower of the Month series, in which we spotlight a winery we love!*
Meinklang winery in Austria produces the sort of low-intervention organic wines that practically burst with freshness and wild, floral, complex aromas. And the secret to their deliciousness? Nature. Gut feeling. Letting the land do its thing without getting in the way. Meinklang is a truly sparkling example of the power of organic and biodynamic wine growing.
The Meinklang farm is situated in Burgenland, Austria, just on the border with Hungary, and it not only supports a thriving wine business, but also a healthy and buzzing ecosystem of wild plants, vegetables, animals, insects, and people. Three generations of the Michlits family—who each have their own specialty when it comes to farming and winemaking—gently coax and nurture the natural elements around them into a self-sustaining cycle of life.
In fact, you might consider Meinklang wines a love song to the life that swirls around the...
Photo: North Loop Neighborhood Association
[ Press from the North Loop Neighborhood Association published September 29, 2022 ]
New Bottle Shop Will Help You Go Beyond Pinot And Chardonnay
She’s already a well-known sommelier, TV spokesperson, educator and owner of a wine club with 600+ members from coast to coast. And now Leslee Miller is taking on one more project to help us learn more about the wine we drink. She’s opened the Sip Better bottle shop in the North Loop.
It’s a bit tucked away at the side of a building on 3rd Street North near 7th Avenue. But after you work your way through a winding hallway to her new shop, you’ll find wines from around the world, helpfully categorized from light to full-bodied.
“There are 10,000 grape varietals in the world and most Americans are still only drinking three,” Miller said.
She has a passion for small family-owned international wine growers, committed to farming via sustainable, organic and biodynamic practices. Most of the wines in her shop are at the $15 or $16 price point. And...
Photo: Kalineri Designs via Unsplash
We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again: MUSHROOM season is upon us! And there are plenty of reasons to get excited about it! As the fall colors come in and the temps cool down, we’re finding ourselves getting crafty in the kitchen, with a glass of wine in hand (of course).
Speaking of vino, one of the many reasons we love the wine + mushroom combo is the health aspect. At Sip Better, we truly are sipping better with wines low in calories, sugar and made with organic and biodynamic processes. Mushrooms are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Due to their anti-inflammatory effects, mushrooms are also natural immunity system boosters. We love all things that TASTE good, but to also FEEL good is really the cherry on top.
From stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer or side dish to pair with the main course, creamy mushroom soup for those chillier nights, or a classic pasta and mushroom dish, the list is never ending. So now that your wheels are spinning on how to...
Photo: Bilyana Slaveykov via Unsplash
On this Earth Day, we are reveling in the good work being done by three organic vineyards we love. Over ninety percent of the wines we carry and champion here at Sip Better subscribe to natural farming principles. But we thought these three producers in particular would get you excited about honoring the earth by drinking wine! Didn't think that was possible, did ya? Perhaps these producers will inspire you, too.
Enjoy!
For many years, Avignonesi was a very well known wine brand in Tuscany. But when Belgian heiress Virginie Saverys acquired the winery in 2009, she wanted to revive the land and make it sing. Before, Avignonesi had been a pretty conventional farm, pumping out thick and heavy wines that didn't pay much homage to the natural character of the land. Virginie hired a biodynamics consultant, Adriano Zago, to help change the entire operation.
Together, Virginie, Adriano, and the team at...
