September: My favorite Local Wine Store

I got this email today from my favorite local wine store September, it's a small, tasteful, little, corner store at Ludlow and Stanton here on the Lower East Side. I've loved them for a while now, a fine collection of well chosen wines in a diverse price range, with a great selection of Staff Picks right as you come in that are definitely priced to sell. I have never had a Staff Pick that I didn't like and some of their wines have become house favorites like the Chilean Chono and the Rioja Almagre both bargains, both delicious wines that go well with food or sip fine on their own. That they also have a commitment to organic wines and keeping the shop green gives them the competitive edge over anyone else I'm aware of on the Lower East Side. Check them out the next time you are in the neighborhood.

As Earth Day approaches, we want to take this opportunity to remind our customers about our commitment to operating as "green" as possible.

We realize that every person, every business, every product has a carbon footprint. And wine is certainly no exception. September Wines is committed to minimizing our footprint and here are some of the steps we've taken in an effort to protect our planet:

We make annual donations to carbonfund.org, an organization that supports carbon reducing projects like renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects. We encourage you to look into reducing your own carbon footprint by visiting www.carbonfund.org

- We use green energy at the store through Accent Energy - Accent Energy is committed to supporting the development and adoption of clean, renewable power. If you're interested, www.accentenergy.com

We ask customers if they'd like a bag instead of just giving them one.

- When we use bags, we use paper. The only time we use plastic is when it is raining substantially. (If you don't need a bag, please don't take one - it is not illegal to carry a bottle of alcohol if it has not been opened).

We use recycled paper products and organic cleaning supplies.

We make over 95% of our deliveries on foot, via bicycle or mass transit.

When selecting our wines, we favor producers who are employing sustainable or organic farming methods.

We don't claim to be perfect but we try to do at least our fair share and are always looking to do more in the fight against climate change. We hope you'll join us.