Charles Lourens, founder of BottlePlatePillow, decided to get to the bottom of it all and set off, camera in hand, to chat to organic wine makers at a couple of the top estates in the Western Cape. Following on from this escapade, he put together a succinct and informative video clip all about eco-friendly wines, which you can watch on WineTube, a new addition to his successful winery search engine, BottlePlatePillow. The clip will give you an understanding of what organic wine is, how it is produced and how you can get involved and do your bit to offset your carbon emissions and help to preserve our natural surrounds. Here is a sneaky peak at some of the highlights of the clip: Still wondering whether organic wine is the 'way to go'? Michelle du Preez from Bon Cap Estate and Jonathan Grieve from Avondale Estate have some insightful answers. In a nutshell, it is produced without any chemicals or pesticides, which enables the wineries to contribute to the sustainability of our environment (and means that it is healthier for us to drink too!). Grieve also explains how simple and effective this process can be, for example Avondale has one hundred ducks roaming around their vineyards eating the snails as a natural and cost effective alternative to toxic snail bait. Simon Back from Backsberg addresses another important aspect of 'eco-friendly' wines, explaining how Backsberg off sets all their carbon emissions, and explaining how consumers can get involved in the project too. According to Tielman Roos, Mooiplaas Estate also wants to educate their visitors about their wines and the environment, and invite them to take a walk in the natural veldt before their wine tasting (pre-booking necessary). Commenting on this section of the clip, Charles Lourens says "I thoroughly enjoyed this part of my trip, the fauna and flora and the views from the nature reserve were spectacular." Visit www.bottleplatepillow.com to watch the clip. When planning your next visit to the winelands, remember to use the search engine on the site and stop in at a couple of estates producing organic wine.