If you have been following me for any amount of time, you probably know that I LOVE wine. If you asked me how I’d spend the perfect summer evening, it would be outside on the deck with a few yummy appetizers and a nice, chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. 

The downside to being a self-proclaimed wino and nutrition junkie? 

The dreaded headache and the general feeling of crappiness.  Every. Time. 

Does anyone else feel like a wine hangover is a “special” kind of hangover? Even knowing as much as I do about nutrition, I used to think it was because of the sulfites (stay tuned, it’s actually not JUST that), and so I tried drinking organic wines to be “healthier” and to keep the headaches at bay. 

I mean, I TEACH about nutrition and eating clean….and grapes are on the “Dirty Dozen” list for goodness sake!  So, why hadn't I been more vigilant about the grapes in my glass? 

But, ugh, the organic wines I tried…well, they just weren’t good. And to be a good researcher (I am here for you, folks!) I was sure to try A LOT of different labels.  But, they lacked so much of what I love about wine.  The complexity, aromas, texture…it just wasn’t there. 

That’s why I was intrigued when a fellow health pro and wine lover introduced me to Scout & Cellar’s clean-crafted wines. At first, I was a little skeptical given the lackluster opinions I had of those organic wines I tried so hard to like. 

So, I placed an order, and the first bottle my husband Peter and I tried was a 2018 Dove Hunt Dog Pinot Noir from Sonoma County, California.  The first thing he said when we poured it was, “Gosh, this smells GOOD.”

And it did.  The aromas JUMPED out at us and I am telling you, the wine was absolutely DELICIOUS.  Fruity, bold, and the perfect medium-bodied frame I love a good Pinot to have.  

And then, after sharing the ENTIRE BOTTLE, I felt great, like really great.  Normally I can start to feel the headache half a glass in and two glasses later I was relaxed and feeling like I always wanted to feel while enjoying a couple of glasses of wine. 

Peter then looked at me and said, “But how much was this? If we are going to start drinking this wine are we going to have to adjust the budget?”  After a quick chuckle, I will say, I couldn’t remember so I checked the site.  

Woah.  $20???  I could not believe a wine with this quality and complexity was just $20.  It’s as much as any other bottle I was buying already!

So I dug in more and I needed to figure out what made these wines SO good and kept me from those dreaded headaches.  You will be SHOCKED at what I learned…at least I was and I study this stuff for a living!

Here’s the scary truth…MOST wines are often riddled with pesticides, chemicals, and extra sugars. There are literally NO regulations of what has to be on a label and the FDA approves ridiculously HIGH levels of pesticides, chemicals, additives, and sugars to be in a bottle of wine.  And they don’t have to tell us about it. 

Why do they add so much of the yucky stuff?  Well, every time you pop open a bottle of your favorite Cab, you expect it to taste the same, right? The truth is, wines are supposed to vary in flavor, even if two bottles are the exact same brand, year, and blend. In addition, all the pesticides used, changes the taste of those grapes and so, they must add stuff to make up for it.  Gross, right?

To keep up with our unrealistic expectation that wines should taste the same (while still keeping costs low), conventional winemakers have unfortunately had to resort to practices that do NOT serve our bodies. Believe it or not, this includes potentially harmful chemicals and additives like ferrocyanide, ammonium phosphate, synthetic pesticides, and mega purple (this is how you get the deep color in most of your red wines, and on your teeth!). Sugars and sweetener concentrates are also added to preserve the taste. In fact, the average bottle of wine can contain 16-32 grams of sugar (that’s about the same as a glazed donut, what?!?!). 

No wonder wine lovers can eat “healthy” and still not make the progress they are expecting…if you are drinking wine the toxins and added sugar you are consistently introducing to your system are CAUSING your body to produce fat cells to protect itself!

Thanks to Scout & Cellar’s clean-crafted wines, this has been a game changer for me and my clients.  We are able to enjoy wine in its purest form as it was meant to be – with no artificial chemicals, additives, and unnecessary sugars. In fact, Scout & Cellar’s wines are made with just grapes, natural yeast, and most with less than 50ppm of sulfites on average (with ALL at under 100ppm). Given the fact that most wines can contain up to 350ppm sulfites per bottle, that’s amazing!  And I have learned that organic grapes don’t ensure “organic” or safe processing practices…they can have all those same yucky chemicals, additives, and sugars in their wines!  Scout and Cellar’s wines don’t have any of that stuff and not only are the grapes in their wines organic but most are from biodynamic farms, which takes quality and farming practices to a whole other level. 

Not to mention, their wines are vegan…yes, vegan.  Most wines, believe it or not, ARE NOT!  Because they are often filtered through the fish bladder or milk casein, if you are vegan, be careful because you aren’t getting “just grapes” in most of your wine. 

Scout & Cellar isn’t an individual winery or vineyard – it’s so much more. Their sommeliers source their wine from the top growing regions across the world, focusing on boutique vineyards that have met very strict criteria and even independently lab test them…TWICE! Less than 1% of the wines grown in the world would pass the Scout and Cellar standard. 

The wines are made from grapes from old vines (hello bold taste!) that are grown consciously and are bottled without the added ingredients that modify taste, texture, color, and aroma. The result? Naturally grown, high-quality wines that you can feel great about drinking yourself and sharing with family and friends!

What is even better? EVERY wine on their site has the story of the vineyard, the grapes, how they were vinified and stored as well as their alcohol content and residual sugar count (you won’t believe how LOW it is!).  You can’t find ANY of that info on any label in the wine store. 

One last thing…cost.  I mentioned that Pinot Noir I tried was just $20, right?  Most of their wines are between $19-25 and there hasn’t been a bottle I haven’t enjoyed.  But if there ever was, one of the MOST amazing things about Scout and Cellar is their “Do Right Guarantee”.  What does that mean?  If you don’t like it, they will either refund you or send you another bottle for free.  When have you ever heard of a wine store paying you back for a bottle of wine you already drank?? 

So these are many of the reasons I call this a “no-brainer swap.” As a nutrition coach, I often tell clients…you like Snickers bars?  Try this protein bar instead.  Or, do you like soda? Substitute it with seltzer.

Both are decent substitutes, but let’s face it, they aren’t the SAME. 

But this is.  In fact, it’s better on so many levels and you aren’t sacrificing quality or cost AND you are saving your body from so much junk.  NO. BRAINER. SWAP.

I have shared this wine with so many clients and friends over the past few months and the response has been incredible.  They love the quality, the lack of headaches, the taste, the cost, and the transparency of knowing what you are buying. 

In fact, because I love this company, its mission, and its wines so much, Disruptive Nutrition decided to partner with them and we are building a team of wine lovers who, after trying it themselves, fell in LOVE with it too!  

Each month, my team and I hold a virtual wine tasting where we talk more about the company and its mission, teach about wine and nutrition…and even try some together! 

To try your own wine and see how impactful clean-crafted wines could be in your life,, CLICK HERE to shop their collections and consider their wine club which is FREE to join, and all the wine in the club ships for FREE! You can cancel or pause it at any time!  I love getting my box of clean-crafted wines from the club at my doorstep every month! 

Keep in mind, as these wines are produced by small vineyards, stock can sell out quickly so check them out today!!