The Carbon Footprint of Wine

empty_wine_bottle1Sniff.  Twirl.  Sip.

What is that intoxicating aroma emanating from your glass of wine? Fruity raspberries…smokey leather…a subtle hint of cedar.  Perhaps a whiff of petroleum? With some wines consuming three times their weight in petroleum, don’t be surprised if it’s the latter.

As “green” issues have become increasingly more predominant over the last few years, wine lovers have likewise become increasingly more interested in understanding the impact their favorite beverage has on the environment.

From the pesticides and fertilizers used to grow wine grapes, to the greenhouse gases released while transporting the wine from the vineyard to often far-reaching locales, producers and consumers alike are wondering….What is the Carbon Footprint of that glass of wine?

Fellow wine lovers, wonder no more! Pablo Päster, a sustainability metrics specialist with ClimateCHECK has calculated the carbon footprint of wine, in terms of both its production and transportation.

Here are some of the key findings:

  • Organic farming reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) compared to conventional farming, but the difference is not that large.  While there may be other factors, such as variations in local ecosystems, the GHG difference was surprisingly small.  For the most part, the mode of transportation played the most significant role from a GHG perspective.
  • Distance matters. However, not all miles a bottle travels are the same. Efficiencies in transportation make container ships better than trucks, which in turn are better than planes.
  • Shipping wine, bottled at the winery, around the world really means shipping glass that happens to contains wine.  In this regard, drinking wine from a magnum is the more carbon-friendly choice. Half-bottles, by contrast, are a far-less carbon-friendly choice.
  • Shipping bulk wine from the source, and bottling closer to the point of consumption can reduce its carbon intensity.
  • Lighter packaging materials have much less carbon intensity.
  • Oak chips are a carbon friendly alternative to oak barrels, especially those that are shipped assembled and empty around the world.
  • There is a “green line” running down the middle of Ohio. For those of us West of that line, it is more carbon efficient to consume wines trucked from California. For those to the East, it’s more efficient to say “oui” to that bottle of Bordeaux, which has had benefited from the efficiencies of container shipping, followed by a shorter truck trip.

In summary…. the best “green” option for your favorite glass of vino?  Wines made without agrichemicals, from larger format bottles, originating on your side of the “green line.”

Cheers!