Bordeaux recently launched the initiative ”bilan carbone” (~the carbon score sheet), a project to analyse the carbon emissions caused by the Girondin wine production. They already know that 756 million bottles of wine are produced each year but how much CO2 does it produce? That’s what will be studied in the project, in order to identify the sources and find ways to reduce it. Already in 2003 champagne launched a similar project (“the first of it’s kind”) that has identified that each bottle of champagne represents some 700g of carbon dioxide (or 200g according to another source). 39% of the carbon comes from the packaging (not surprising considering it’s champagne we’re talking about), 24% from the work in the vineyard and winery, 13% from transports, 11% from various machinery (?), 8% from purchased material and substances, and 5% from “administration” (!). One way to reduce the carbon footprint would of course be not to pull the cork since the bubbles in the bottle is CO2… More info: Decanter or TrueWines or AFP.
