Tip of the Week

Magnum Force

Whether it be a crimson pinot noir or a sparkling cava brut, elegant bottles of wine are a festive addition to holiday dinner tables around the world. But the beloved grape juice comes with an environmental cost. The bulk of the world's wine is cultivated in three countries--France, Italy and Spain--where it's loaded into fossil-fuel-guzzling trucks and airplanes to make its way to dinner. And in the United States, the fourth largest wine producer, 90 percent of the yield comes from California. The American Association of Wine Economists estimates global greenhouse gas emissions from wine production and distribution to be 5,336,600 tons--roughly the same amount that one million passenger vehicles would emit in a year.

Because shipping wine typically involves moving lots of heavy glass filled with some less-heavy wine, a local tipple greatly reduces the carbon output of the holiday toast. But if your preferences lean toward wines from a region far from home, buying local is not an option. The good news is that the bigger the bottle, the smaller the carbon impact per ounce. Larger bottles also cut back on glass packaging, which is costly to recycle and frequently ends up in landfills. On dinner outings with large groups of people, order a 1.5 liter (L) magnum that holds eight glasses rather than two .75 L bottles. Heller Estate's 2002 Organic Cachagua Cabernet Sauvignon ($45/1.5 L) is lovely and affordable for large dinner parties. For a splurge, try their 1997 Organic Signature Release Cabernet Sauvignon ($200/1.5 L) with flavors of ripe berry fruits, jammy cassis and dark chocolate. And if you're really thirsty, you can pick up a 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon in a three-liter bottle for $260 (www.hellerestate.com). The more, the merrier...

© The Green Guide, 2008

| Email this post

Discuss this blog

Green Gab is for registered users only. If you are not a registered user and would like to join the discussion, register today. Already registered? Log in here:
Username:		Password:
If you have forgotten your password, click here.