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Planet Green's NGO partners keep making us proud. Last week, The Nature Conservancy held a New York City event called "Message in a Barrel," which explored the threatening link between climate change and the world of wine. According to Dr. Dominique Bachelet, The Nature Conservancy's climate change scientist, by the end of this century, rising temperatures across the U.S. could reduce the areas suitable for premium wine production by up to 81 percent.
Fortunately, we have people like grape guru and event panelist, Tyler Coleman, a professor at New York University (a.k.a. Dr. Vino), studying the carbon footprint of wine. After tracking a bottle from Argentina to California to New York, Coleman is able to share threeways in which we can still drink our way to bliss without leaving our planet with a major carbon-dioxide hangover. Wine should travel:1. Locally, if possible: Most carbon emissions from wine originate in its method of transportation. Ask questions at your local wine & spirits shop and then choose the vintage closest to home that has arrived in the most energy efficient manner. Out of the three, container shipping is the best; plane travel is the worst, and trucking falls somewhere in the middle.
2. Express: If you can't drink local, map out the least offending route for your vino's travel. Use Coleman's "green line" rule of thumb as reference. Some routes may come as a surprise! He figured out that wine traveling by truck from California to New York has a larger footprint than wine traveling by plane from Bordeaux to New York. (Note: New Yorkers do have access to local vineyards though, so this would be the best choice.)
3. In style: The type of container your wine comes in effects its level of carbon emissions so choose those that have packed lightly. Boxed wine is making a trendy comeback. Though not perfectly green, it scores major points for its minimalist packaging and is also great for those on a budget. Big bottles or jugs of wine also pack a punch with more wine and less glass. Who can say no to that?
For more ways to buzz eco-responsibly check out Dr. Vino's research findings both in his blog, and in his book, Wine Politics.
Difficulty level: Easy
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