Happy Quitters’ Day! Today is the day most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions to be healthier, according to data collected by fitness app Strava. That’s not happening here. Wine for Change is committed to building healthy habits of regular, civic engagement to create positive social change. We gathered on January 12 to discuss our resolutions for creating that change in 2020. And since so many of us commit to healthier habits in the new year, we focused our wine agenda on natural wine with a special guest speaker, Jared Brandt of Berkeley’s own Donkey & Goat Winery.

Host/Post author Julie Lacy enthralled by Jared Brandt’s discussion of Donkey & Goat wines and natural winemaking

The Wine

Natural Wine is wine made from biodynamic, organic, and/or sustainable farming practices and with minimal intervention in the winemaking process using little to no chemical or technological manipulation. You may be very surprised how many additives are permitted to be used in winemaking; read renowned natural wine writer Alice Feiring’s eye popping list here. The natural wine movement rejects those additives and manipulations and aspires to let the fermented grape juice it produces be a natural reflection of the grape varietal and the soil, climate, and conditions that grew it.

We think a lot about what we put in our bodies when it comes to food. Many of us search for “whole foods” and organic produce to avoid toxic pesticides, chemicals, and non-food like substances in our food. Since there are few wine labeling requirements regarding ingredients (other than sulfites), we are at the mercy of our winemakers. If you care about what you consume and its impact on the environment, be an educated consumer and do the research to seek out natural wine producers. Thy are often small, independently owned businesses that could use your support to fend off competition from the big companies like Gallo, Treasury, Constellation, and The Wine Group that own many mass produced wines in their global portfolios. Buy direct from the wineries or seek out a local wine shop that features natural wine selections.

At Donkey & Goat, Jared and Tracey Brandt commit to sourcing grapes farmed responsibly to protect the land and respect the terroir. Read their manifesto. The Brandts started a natural wine revolution in Berkeley on an industrial block at Fifth and Gilman and attracted other winemakers to join them there in the newly dubbed Drinks District. Plan an afternoon winery crawl with this guide by the San Francisco Chronicle’s wine blog The Press.

Jared Brandt addressing the Wine for Change group on January 12, 2020

Jared shared three Donkey & Goat wines with us at the event:

2019 New Glou ($24)
“Glou Glou” is a cute term the French use to describe fruit forward, light red wines intended to be enjoyed soon after bottling. Direct translation: Glug Glug. Indeed D&G’s New Glou is a chuggable, meant-to-be-chilled red wine in a technicolor magenta tone blending Marsanne, Mourvèdre, Granache, Merlot, Syrah, and Chardonnay. This is so much fun to drink and screams, “Drink Now!”
2018 Ramato Pinot Gris, Filigreen Farm - Anderson Valley ($28)
This is Tracey’s baby. She takes the biodynamically farmed pinot gris grapes and ferments them up to five days on the skins to create an uncharacteristically deep pink wine with dried mushrooms, dried apricot, white nectarine, preserved orange, and sage on the palate. Tracey recommends enjoying it with cured meat, dried fruit, and Marcona almonds.
2018 Chardonnay, Linda Vista Vineyard - Napa ($35)
This is an elegant chardonnay with bright acidity and notes of wet rock and orchard fruits. Wine & Spirits Magazine rated it one of the year’s best chardonnays and you’ll see why.

Natural Wines enjoyed at the January 12 Wine for Change event

Guests and the hosts also shared wonderful natural wine selections including:

Broc 2018 Petillant Wine, Valdigue - Mendocino ($34 at the Broc Cellars winery)
Broc 2017 Trousseau ($30 at the Broc Cellars winery)
Martha Stouman “Palatino” California Nouveau ($35 at Bay Grape Bottle Shop)
Spartico, a Tempranillo-Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Spain ($13 at Whole Foods)

To keep exploring natural wines, plan a visit to one of these Bay Area wine bars that feature natural wines: Ordinaire or The Punchdown in Oakland and Terroir or Verjus in San Francisco. Or go straight to the source and visit one of Berkeley’s natural wineries: Donkey & Goat, Broc Cellars, and/or Vinca Minor.

The Change

I created a 2020 Wine for Change resolution postcard for everyone to complete and refer to throughout the year, with resources and suggested actions. Keeping our resolutions requires commitment, action, and accountability. We discussed our personal commitments to achieve Wine for Change’s key objectives - listed on the left side of the postcard.

Wine for Change is committed to bringing more guest speakers and hands on activities to accomplish the above goals - both on the national stage and in our own backyard. Stay tuned for more information on upcoming events. At last Sunday’s event, some participants shared their own resolutions:

Support the Democratic nominee - whoever it may be. Period. Full stop.
- Vote for your top choice in the primary. As you decide who to support, take this Washington Post quiz to see which candidate you agree with most on several key issues. But then cut the shit and support whoever wins the nomination. Withholding a vote for a candidate that doesn’t “inspire” you is casting a vote for Trump or the GOP candidate if, one hopes, Trump is removed from office following the Senate trial.
Listen to Trump supporters and try to understand why they support him.
- Caution: This may be difficult. Listen with an open heart for the root cause and remember we are humans with more in common than what divides us.
- Resource: Living Room Conversations provides a conversational model and guides on how to “facilitate connection between people despite their differences, and even identify areas of common ground and shared understanding.”
- Consider where we went wrong in 2016 and how to ensure we don’t make the same mistake.
Play the long game to protect the right to vote. Republicans and conservative organizations have been working for decades to stack the deck in their favor to deprive people (usually poor people who are disproportionately black and brown) of the right to vote. This must end to ensure every citizen can and does exercise their right to vote. Resources:
- Fair Fight is an organization Stacey Abrams created to fight voter suppression through litigation, legislation, and advocacy.
- All on the Line is Eric Holder’s organization to defeat gerrymandering and advocate for fair maps in the next round of redistricting.
Register Voters. Shout out to the Wine for Change participants who are traveling to Arizona soon to register voters with Swing Left East Bay. Sign up on their website for shifts later this month and in February to register newly naturalized citizens at the Paramount Theater in Oakland. Flip the West also mobilizes voter registration drives.
Take care of yourself: mind, body, and spirit. To win this fight, we need to be balanced, strong, and connected.
- Exercise: Move more. Every day. Stretch. Breathe. Sweat. Repeat. Eric and I invested in a Peloton bike last year and love it. Consider the bike or even the Peloton digital app for cycling, yoga, stretching, strengthening, and more for only $39 a month. Click here to learn more and get a free trial of the bike and/or the app.
- Cook at home and share with others: Cooking is cathartic, cost effective, and cuts your carbon footprint by limiting single use take-out containers. Julia and Sharon brought a delicious gluten-free Almond Cake to the last event (which would be lovely with a sweet Sauternes) so I’m sharing that recipe by popular demand plus a bonus for a sublime flourless chocolate cake they shared on Christmas - delicious paired with a Tawny Port.
- Unplug: Build time into your schedule each day away from digital devices, free from meetings, and commitments. Create space to do nothing. It’s a gift to yourself, and you deserve it.

MLK, Jr. Day - National Day of Service

Tomorrow is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the National Day of Service. Here are a few things you can do:

Demand a fair and open impeachment trial. Use the Indivisible action tool to reach senators to ensure they uphold their oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution - not a lawless president.
Volunteer for When We All Vote. Sign up here for a voter registration shift today or tomorrow if you can.
Visit The Museum of African Diaspora. MOAD is offering free admission on Monday to honor Dr. King’s life and legacy. See here for more information. You can also get tickets for an event Eric and I are attending on Saturday, January 25 called Decolonize Your Food. See here for more information.

Even if you were not able to join us at this or any other event, I urge you to set your intentions for meaningful actions you can take each month to promote positive social change. Download a copy of the Wine for Change 2020 Resolutions card; then print it double-sided and cut it horizontally to create two postcards: one for you and one to share with a friend or family member you want to enlist in this fight. This is no time to be silent or sit on the sidelines - especially if you occupy a privileged position. Remember, “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

What are your 2020 resolutions? Please share in the comments and inspire others to action.