Tag Archives: Ron Rubin

Blue Bin wines’ positive impact on the environment

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I first became familiar with the Ron Rubin Winery during the pandemic (See story from June 2020) as I sipped and savored his wine in my local park. I was impressed with the wines and enjoyed getting to know his story, as he pursued his lifelong dream of making wine.

More recently, I was introduced to Ron’s latest venture: Blue Bin, which builds on his commitment to sustainability, verifiable performance, transparency and accountability.
This initial effort was codified with the achievement of BCorp certification in August 2022 (presently one of only 33 Certified B Corporation wineries in the world and 1 of 5 in California). For those less or unfamiliar, “B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials.” (For more details on B Corp Certification, please see the organization’s website.)

Blue Bin’s claim to fame is that it is “The first premium wine bottle made from 100% recycled material in the United States”. More specifically, the fully recyclable is a hybrid of plastic, lined with Plasmax, an ultra-thin protective layer of glass. The result is packaging that is both lighter and shatterproof. 

Admittedly, the switch from glass to plastic might make the wine look unusual (and interestingly, when I brought a bottle to a holiday party, there was some concern that the bottle could be mistaken by the children present for a bottle of soda), but it is worth changing your perspective on what a bottle of wine should look like. In fact, one third of a wine’s carbon footprint is attributed to the glass bottles in which it is usually packaged. While glass is an excellent option for storing wine, it is also a heavy one and thus impacts shipping. Moreover, glass bottles are not always recycled in the United States, further complicating the problem.

Despite the unique packaging, Blue Bin’s wines are still well made wines and good examples of their respective grape varieties. At the moment, there are four wines made under the Blue Bin label: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Rose, all produced with fruit sourced from California, utilizing sustainable growing practices.

So, in the end, the wines might look a little different, but there is no impact on the taste; only a positive impact on the environment. They taste like…wine (and good wine, at that)!

TASTING NOTES

Blue Bin Pinot Grigio 2022, California, USA, $15.00
Aromas and flavors of smoke and citrus, with a dry palate, bright acidity, medium body, culminating in long length.

Blue Bin Chardonnay 2022, California, USA, $15.00
Pear and honeysuckle greet the nose, this dry wine has nice acidity, ripe red apple and pear fruit and is medium bodied with good length.

Blue Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2022, California, USA, $15.00
An intense nose of herbal and citrus notes, this dry wine offers up bright acidity, medium+ body and long length.

Blue Bin Rose 2022, California, USA, $15.00
Redolent of cherries and melon, this wine is slightly off dry, with medium acidity,
medium body and flavors of ripe watermelon and berries, with long length.


Finding Hope in Dreams, Ron Rubin Winery

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This moment in time continues to be challenging for us all as the world grapples with both the pandemic and protests. The uncertainty for what it will all mean in the future is unsettling, but I am choosing to find hope amidst the pain.

Last week found me on a socially distant, “Pandemic Playdate” in the local park with my friend. She supplied the colored pencils and I brought a bottle of wine. The page I had selected to color that day read:

It is at this moment, when things appear so bleak that we must redouble our efforts and not give up. We must believe that we can remake the world in a more peaceful reality.
~Cynthia McKinney

I was in a dark place that afternoon, but this quote touched me deeply.

As we move forward to remake the world, I am holding my hopes and dreams in my heart and in my mind even though I don’t know when they will come to fruition. Along these lines, while some people leap straight into pursuing their passions, others wait patiently for their dreams to come true.

Ron Rubin first dreamt of having his own winery while a student at UC Davis. That was back in 1971. But life had other plans for Ron. In 1972, he returned home to Illinois and entered the family business, Central Wholesale Liquor Co., bringing innovation and expansion over his 22 year tenure with the company before moving on to become a top seller of Clearly Canadian Sparking Water.

Yet, he never forgot about his dream.

Forty years later, Ron parlayed his success into the purchase of River Road Family Vineyards and Winery, in the Russian River Valley’s Green Valley, renaming the winery Ron Rubin Winery. He had finally manifested his dream!

Not one to rest on his laurels, Ron threw himself into his new venture, earning himself the honor of Innovator of the Year Award from the North Bay Business Journal in 2016.

And, interestingly, while wine continues to be an important passion, his love of beverages is quite broad. In this regard, Ron was so inspired by the book The Republic of Tea that he made an offer to the authors (and owners of The Republic of Tea), Mel and Patricia Ziegler, to purchase their company back in 1994.

Beyond beverages, Ron’s other guiding passion is philanthropy, giving both his financial support and business acumen to numerous causes including serving on the Board for Sonoma State University’s Wine Business Institute; donating to Wine Spectator Learning Center’s state-of-the-art education complex; funding The Maynard Amerine Wine Label and Menu Collection, at U.C. Davis; and establishing the Ron Rubin Winery TRAINED FOR “SAVING LIVES” program.

This latter program was launched in 2017 in collaboration with the American Red Cross and ZOLL Medical Corporation, with the Ron Rubin Winery covering the cost of supplying qualifying California wineries with a ZOLL AED PLUS (Automated External Defibrillator) unit.

In keeping with his life-long pursuit, Ron’s top wines are part of his Dream Series and include two Chardonnays and a Pinot Noir.

TASTING NOTES
Ron Rubin Winery Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2018, $20.00
A bit shy on the nose, but really lovely on the dry palate with medium acidity, medium+ body and complex flavors of melon, apple, a slight woody note and vanilla, culminating in long length.

Ron Rubin Winery Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2017, $25.00
With berry and cherry aromas on the nose, this beautiful wine offers up good acidity, fresh cherry fruit, slight leafy notes and long length on the palate.