From Passion To Action 

A Guide to Climate-Positive Wine + Chocolate

Cat Corona is bucking the trends of most twenty-somethings and diving into the complex and delicious world of wine. At only twenty-six years old, she’s already a level one sommelier. Never one with an idle mind, Cat found the perfect intersection between her fascination with the natural world and her waitressing job at Clark’s Oyster Bar by getting obessed with the ecology of wine. “Ask my brothers, I could geek out on climate and wine for hours!”

Cat is also a trained biologist and climate enthusiast.

CAT’S STORY

Photos by Finn Dwyer

For Cat, wine became a hands-on outlet for her curiosity about ecology and sustainability. “What I love most about wine is how it weaves together so many fields—history, botany, geology, anthropology, and beyond. For me, every glass tells the story of meticulous care, passion, and environmental stewardship.”

Colorado, with its cool nights and warm days, is a particularly exciting place to explore wine. While once overlooked, it’s now home to passionate winemakers producing high-quality bottles that reflect both place and resilience in the face of climate change—a perfect starting point for expanding your knowledge and palate with local wine.  

Fun Fact: The dry climate here in Colorado reduces the need for pesticides and other chemicals, allowing for more natural growing practices.

Wine + Climate Action You Can Take

Sustainable Agricultural Practices:

Modern vineyards are adopting regenerative farming techniques to combat climate change and improve soil health. Cover cropping, compost amendments, and retaining biomass can effectively store atmospheric CO2 while enhancing vineyard health (The wine Caverns). Many producers are also implementing organic and biodynamic farming methods, reducing chemical inputs and pesticide use. Regenerative agriculture has the potential to sequester 41% of the CO2 emissions in France alone (Tasting Climate Change).

Water Conservation:

 Water management is critical for sustainable wine production, especially as climate change increases drought frequency.  More wineries are focused on adopting water-saving practices and technologies, including monitoring soil water retention, advanced irrigation systems, and recycling water systems (ScienceDirect). Drip or microirrigation can save up to 50% water compared to traditional sprinklers (EPA). However, with increasing heat and droughts, more irrigation is being adopted and implemented in places where it wasn't needed before (ScienceDirect). 

Climate Change Adaptation

Vineyards are facing significant challenges from rising temperatures. If temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius, viable wine-growing regions could shrink by more than half. To adapt, many producers are planting at higher elevations, switching to heat-resistant grape varieties, and adjusting harvest timing. Some are investing in renewable energy sources like solar panels and geothermal systems for winery operations (Reuters).

Geographic Winners and Losers

The rising temperatures may make other regions more suitable for growing the grapes, such as Washington State, Oregon, Tasmania and Northern France (Tasting Climate Change). They're moving further north in the Northern Hemisphere and further south in the Southern Hemisphere, where climates that were previously too cold to grow wine grapes are becoming better suited for viticulture (Clean Technica). Traditional wine regions face significant threats, already seeing small harvests, which leads to a huge loss in revenue (Reuters).

Packaging

Traditional glass bottles account for 29% of wine's carbon footprint, with transportation adding another 13%. Alternative packaging solutions are emerging, including lightweight recycled plastic bottles from companies like Packamama that can fit 91% more wine per shipment, paper bottles from Frugalpac that have a six times lower carbon footprint than glass, and aluminum cans that can be recycled within 60 days. While glass remains preferred for aging wines, innovators argue that 85% of mass-produced wines consumed quickly need more sustainable packaging solutions. No perfect environmentally-friendly wine packaging exists yet; the industry must prioritize reducing carbon footprints and engaging consumers in environmental conversations. (Wine Enthusiast) 

From Passion To Action 

PATTY’S STORY OF CHOCOLATE + CRAFT

Patty Doyle is the founder of Farm Chocolate in Aspen, Colorado, where she handcrafts rustic-luxe confections using traditional European methods and sustainably sourced ingredients. With roots in Pearl Chocolate on Vancouver Island and nearly two decades of artisanal chocolate-making in Sonoma County—where her award-winning treats became farmer’s market favorites—Patty brings her artistry back to the mountains.

Today, she continues to create one-of-a-kind seasonal chocolates and is expanding Farm Chocolate into a cozy café serving decadent beverages and desserts.

Patty’s sustainable practices is the foundation of how she runs her business - never wasting anything and sourcing high-quality, earth and people-friendly products.

Cocoa farming has come a long way. For much of its history, the industry has been tied to child labor, unsustainable practices, heavy pesticide use, and the clearing of forests to make way for monoculture plantations. Today, more growers are working with the ecosystem instead of against it, creating more ethical and sustainable cocoa. Whenever you can, choose local or responsibly sourced chocolate—it makes a real difference 

When Patty first began making chocolate, she used single-origin beans from Colombia—without fully realizing the significance of that choice. Later, after moving to San Francisco and working with Dandelion Chocolate, she witnessed firsthand how they crafted chocolate from scratch, kept ingredients minimal, and built meaningful relationships with farmers around the world. This was a true ah-ha moment for Patty. She realized how essential community connection is—both in supporting farmers and in advancing education about farming practices and pesticide use.

Photos by Finn Dwyer

WINE + CHOCOLATE

Where to Start in the Roaring Fork Valley

VINO

  • Wine Basics - How does climate affect wine?

    Temperature Effects on Acidity:

    Cooler climates preserve acidity because acids break down more slowly during the ripening process. Hot climates naturally reduce acid levels, creating wines with softer, rounder profiles. This is why German Rieslings are zesty while Rieslings from warmer climates like Australia taste softer.

    Sugar Development and Alcohol Balance:

    Warm climates accelerate sugar accumulation, often resulting in high-alcohol wines that can taste unbalanced if acidity doesn't keep pace. 

    Flavor Compound Formation:

    Cool climates produce herbal, mineral, and citrus notes, while warm climates favor riper fruit flavors. Moderate day-night temperature swings help preserve aromatics and complexity.

    Phenolic Development:

    Climate affects tannin structure in red wines. Moderate warmth develops elegant tannins gradually, while excessive heat creates harsh, over-extracted wines.

    Varietal Climate Preferences:

    Different grapes thrive in specific climates. Cool-climate varieties, including Pinot Noir and Riesling, need moderate temperatures to maintain bright acidity and delicate aromatics. Warm-climate varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah require heat to fully ripen and develop bold flavors. Mismatched climates produce either green, unripe flavors or flabby, over-ripe wines.

    Terroir:

    Terroir is a French concept that encompasses all the environmental factors that influence a wine's character, including soil, climate, topography, and human winemaking traditions. The idea is that these combined factors create a unique "sense of place" that cannot be replicated elsewhere, explaining why the same grape variety tastes different depending on where it's grown.

  • Local: Ajax Cellars Riesling - $33.00 

    Hand-harvested from the highest elevation Riesling vineyard in the U.S, at 6,550 feet, the Russel Vineyard in the Four Corners region. The Riesling is made from whole-cluster pressed grapes and briefly rested in 8-year-old, fully neutral oak. Stellar pairing with oysters, fish tacos, stone fruits, and tempura-fried foods.

    Adaptive: 2023 Brij Wines Albarino, Santa Barbara County - $29.99

    Brij Wines' Albariño is a crisp, aromatic white wine sourced from sustainably farmed vineyards on California's Central Coast. It features vibrant notes of citrus, green apple, and a hint of salinity, reflecting the coastal influence. This Albariño is crafted with minimal intervention, allowing the natural acidity and freshness of the grape to shine through. Brij Wines' Albariño pairs wonderfully with a variety of light and fresh dishes, including seafood like grilled shrimp, ceviche, or oysters, which complement the wine's crisp acidity and citrus notes.  

    Biodynamic: Scar of the Sea Wines, 2024 Bassi Vineyard Coferment 65% Pinot Gris 35% Chardonnay - $36.00

    Scar of the Sea blends natural wines grown using biodynamic practices from California’s central coast. Explore vineyard list.

  • Sopris Liquors in Carbondale has a Colorado Wine section. Jimmy is the nicest guy and extremily knowledgable about delicious locally grown options.

    Catherine’s Store Wine & Liquor just outside Carbondale. Rhonda, the owner, is an aficionado of delicious wine .

    And of course, The Grogg Shop in Aspen.

CHOCOLATE

  • What you can do:

    • Look for single origin chocolate, then you know it’s sustainable farmed.

    • Look for minimal ingredients. Patty only uses two ingredients in her chocolate which increases flavor and eliminates chance for contamination.

    • Check out Dandelion Chocolate to learn more about ethically sources chocolate worldwide.

  • Farm Chocolate

    Pollinator Chocolate

The MOST important thing you to do:

SHARE what you learn with your networks! 

Everyone loves to talk about wine + chocolate! These delights are driving change by adopting practices that help them continue to produce and mitigate climate change.

Resources to explore

If you are inspired to learn more about the overlap of food and climate within our valley and more broadly, there are plenty of resources to explore.

MUST Read Article: Obama’s excutive chef is hosting sold out climate events!

  • No more chocolate, coffee or wine? ‘Last Supper’ shows stakes of climate crisis.

MUST Watch Movie about Regenerative Farming Practices!

  • Common Ground, now streaming on Netflix! Wine and chocolate production are part of this movement too! (but sadly not mentioned in the documentary)

Craft Chocolates are Reshaping Agriculture in the Cacao Belt

Our Favorite Podcasts and Talks by our favorite Climate Heroes!

We encourage you to continue learning.

Come to Mtn Bio’s events to connect with local experts, learn about new initiatives, and discover more ways you can be a part of the climate solution, one action at a time!