Although worlds apart, wine ultimately brought them together.

Sisters Andrea and Robin weren’t raised together, Andrea in New Zealand and Robin was in the US. Being in New Zealand afforded Andrea the opportunity to learn grape farming as a child and then grow up to enjoy her New Zealand grapes in a glass as an adult. She came to the states to attend USC and heard the call of the wine business. As she recalls, “I realized all I wanted to do was drink wine, have a good time and make a difference in the world!”

After creating the business plan and finding an investor, eco.love Wines was born. The sisters vision for their wine brand is to create wines that ‘celebrate life, beauty and optimism for the betterment of humankind’. eco.love Wines are made in the first carboNZeroCertTM winery in the world. Recycled glass is used for its bottles and no paper is used for labeling, natural inks are used on the bottle.

The eco.love Wines first vintage was produced in 2009 and consists of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Noir.

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What a day this was! Of course I, Girl Meets Glass, had to exercise my right to drink and celebrate this historic day. I didn’t attend any official Repeal Day celebrations, but I did my part by imbibing all the same.

I started my night at my fave liquor store, Chat’s Liquors in Eastern Market. They were having a wine tasting featuring Flo Wines produced by jazz musician, Marcus Johnson. Funny thing, Mr. Johnson wasn’t at the tasting when the guests started to arrive, so Burnie Williams II, owner of Chat’s, asked me to pour wine. Of course that is never I problem for me! So, I cracked open a bottle of the Chardonnay, a crisp yet creamy white wine, with a hint of oak on the palate. This wine was actually fermented with oak staves inside of a stainless steel tank. An interesting way to gain balance and complexity to the wine. The the red which I now remember I’ve had before, actually for my birthday at Carolina Kitchen. It’s a blend of Cab Sauv, Petit Verdot, Merlot, and probably another grape that I’m missing. Very similar in style and flavor to a Bordeaux. Flo Wines biz partner, Rob arrived and took over the pouring and was able to discuss winemaking techniques with us. My job here was done, and so was my tasting portion, so I headed to my next stop.

My good friend and fellow wineaux, Bill Sanders was hosting a tasting of his new line of olive oils at i Ricchi in Dupont. Happy hour was in full effect with 1/2 off all drinks. I ordered a vodka/limoncello martini.

It tasted like the juice in the bottom of a slushie…this is a good thing, I was a fan. Dipped some bread in the olive oil, and headed to the next location.

It was a Wednesday, so #winechat night. Topic, Beaujolais. A region I know tons about, and tweet on often. Fellow blogger, Frank Morgan of Drink What You Like, was hosting a tasting at Ripple in Cleveland Park. I was super cised to try their grilled cheese, but there to find out they’re served from 5-6:30 and 10:30-12.

It was 9pm. We had 5 Beaujolais Cru to taste…so I set my watch for 10:30! I sipped some amazing Crus and sent a few tweets before my phone died. My fave of the night, Fleurie. Best in Show - the bottle we ordered after the official tasting to go with our grilled cheese! So we’re eating and drinking and talking, then we realize it’s midnight on a school night. I use my Uber app (love it btw) to call a ride and make moves toward my place.

Great night with great friends and great drinks. Happy Repeal Day!