Why it matters:
Because, while we probably shouldn’t overdo it (no more cognac for you Kanye ), we all take a nip once in a while.
Recap:
National Geographic provides Americans with a wealth of information (e.g. anatomy lessons for prepubescents). But a recent issue (May 2009, to be exact) provides wine-drinkers with a graphic that shows what it takes to transport their (okay, our) beloved fermented grape juice.
(There’s also a rad picture of an angry raccoon.)
But we’re talking wine here. According to the article, Angelinos can rest easy buying wines from the west coast, Australia, or Chile (0.6, 0.6, and 0.5 pounds of Co2 respectively), but might want to reconsider wines from Europe (3 pounds of CO2). On the other hand, New Yorkers can sip their Bordeauxs and Gewurztraminers (0.3, the smallest footprint featured in the graphic) with relish. The worst offender was California wines making the trip to the Big Apple (a whopping 4 pounds of CO2).
Commentary:
In essence, the graphic most effectively illustrates the disparity between the efficiencies of shipping by, well, ship and the lack thereof when it comes to trucking.
But, of course, wine doesn’t get shipped until the vines have been planted, cultivated, and the grapes harvested, crushed, fermented, and bottled. (There’s a little wine-making primer for ya!) Obviously there are other matters to consider.
Oregon’s Sokol Blosser winery became the first LEED certified winery in the nation. In the years since, Stoller Vineyards in the Willamette Valley and Hall’s St. Helena vineyard in California’s Napa valley have joined the LEED ranks. Additionally, a handful of organic wineries have cropped up over the past several years.
“Okay, so, what the heck am I supposed to drink… Mon Frere?” Tyler Colman, one of the minds behind the NG graphic, and a blogger at DrVino.com offers this suggestion, “Drinking a wine made without agrichemicals, from larger format bottles, or wine that has traveled fewer miles is the more “green” option.”
I wonder what the best choices are for places in the middle of the country, like Amarillo, TX where I live? Everything would have to be trucked in here. I know we have a few local vineyards in the state, but finding that wine all the way up here is hard at best. Any thoughts?
Ugh, organic, pesticide-free, carbon footprint, waste management between glass and paper containers. I better get smashed like a fox by the time I’m done with this pricey wine!
I think your best choices for TX are those that are shipped in. You are close to the Gulf of Mexico so that would decrease the amount of distance required for your wine to get to you.
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Green Shipping.com is another “Creative Solution” to the CO2/Wine conundrum. We are a service company that easily, accurately and cost effectively offsets your packages’ carbon emissions by investing in clean, renewable energy. Make your next package (whether it is wine or cheese) carbon neutral.