Anna Clark in Green Wineries Embrace Innovation from the Fields to the Bottle (Green Biz, July 27) takes a look at how California winemakers approach this challenge.
It involves much more than the vineyard.
Sustainable means using bio-fuels for your farm equipment, solar or wind power for the winery's buildings.
Then there is is the issue of packaging.
At this point most wines come in glass bottles. A first step is to use lighter bottles.
Even though at first it looked heretic, more and more wines the world over come with screw caps.
Could it be that the future of wine bottles lies in the adoption of PET (as is the case with Yellow Jersey, pictured here) commonly used for soft drinks?
Besides being lighter, Chaz Miller in Waste Age (2007) wrote that Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) finds a second life on the floors as "half of all polyester carpet made in the United States is made from recycled PET bottles."
Recycling the bottles is one aspect. Lighter packaging is relevant in shipping cost and carbon footprint as most wines travel long distances from the producer to our glass.
Curious about some of the wineries who practice what they preach in California, in addition to her article Anna Clark compiled a list for us all (see below):
Araujo Estate Wines — http://www.araujoestatewines.com
Frog's Leap — http://www.frogsleap.com
Grgich Hills Estate — http://www.grgich.com
Honig Vineyard and Winery – http://www.honigwine.com
Joseph Phelps Vineyards — http://www.jpvwines.com
Miner Family Vineyards — http://www.minerwines.com
Robert Sinskey Vineyards — http://www.robertsinskey.com
Shafer — http://www.shafervineyards.com
Sonoma County, California
Benziger Winergy — http://www.benziger.com
Cline Cellars — http://www.clinecellars.com
De Loach Vineyards — http://www.deloachvineyards.com
Ferrari-Carrano – http://www.ferrari-carrano.com
Medlock Ames — http://www.medlockames.com
Red Truck Wines — http://www.redtruckwine.com
Ridge Vineyards — http://www.ridge.com
Mendocino County, California
Parducci (1st Carbon Neutral Winery in U.S.) —
http://www.mendocinowinecompany.com
Serious thoughts on wine and waste and taste for Green Day # 87
Previously on Green Day:
Croissant Neuf, A Solar Powered Music Fest in Usk (Wales), August 14 to 16
Hi Serge,
Great post. I also saw that Anna Clark article and agree we have to give thought to the whole process– energy to packaging to recycling. These are all great steps.
Fact is though, wine making is never going to be a carbon neutral process without using offsets. For example, there’s still the cost of transportation… Standard carbon, carbon counter, belgrave trust etc. are all good options to offset. I think belgrave trust might even have an option for offsetting wine collections.
Anyway just wanted to point out that lighter packaging etc. are good ideas and better than nothing but are really just an incomplete solution.
Hi Serge,
Great post. I also saw that Anna Clark article and agree we have to give thought to the whole process– energy to packaging to recycling. These are all great steps.
Fact is though, wine making is never going to be a carbon neutral process without using offsets. For example, there’s still the cost of transportation… Standard carbon, carbon counter, belgrave trust etc. are all good options to offset. I think belgrave trust might even have an option for offsetting wine collections.
Anyway just wanted to point out that lighter packaging etc. are good ideas and better than nothing but are really just an incomplete solution.
The owners of Parducci Wine Cellars and Paul Dolan Vineyards offer a comprehensive Green Winegrowing Handbook as a downloadable pdf. It’s the first wine industry guide of this type there is no charge. Check it out at Paul Dolan Vineyards website:
http://www.pauldolanwine.com/index.php/component/content/article/63
The owners of Parducci Wine Cellars and Paul Dolan Vineyards offer a comprehensive Green Winegrowing Handbook as a downloadable pdf. It’s the first wine industry guide of this type there is no charge. Check it out at Paul Dolan Vineyards website:
http://www.pauldolanwine.com/index.php/component/content/article/63
On the issue of packaging, the environmental footprint associated with the production of natural cork wine stoppers is a lot smaller than alternative closures. Cork is a renewable resource, is biodegradable and recyclable and the cork forests of the Mediterranean play an important role in carbon dioxide retention. For more information on the environmental attributes of natural cork and the fight to save the cork forests visit http://www.savemiguel.com
On the issue of packaging, the environmental footprint associated with the production of natural cork wine stoppers is a lot smaller than alternative closures. Cork is a renewable resource, is biodegradable and recyclable and the cork forests of the Mediterranean play an important role in carbon dioxide retention. For more information on the environmental attributes of natural cork and the fight to save the cork forests visit http://www.savemiguel.com
Irene
Sorry for late follow up, busy week.
I agree with you.
Would direct shipping from winery to consumer reduce the carbon footprint further?
Serge
Irene
Sorry for late follow up, busy week.
I agree with you.
Would direct shipping from winery to consumer reduce the carbon footprint further?
Serge