Comments on: Which wine would you like to see carbonanalyzed?

By: Dr Vino’s wine blog » Blog Archive » Carbonanalyzed: Blanquette de Limoux to Berkeley

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:00:28 +0000

[...] the pun Queen from the excellent food blog, The Ethicurean, posted a comment requesting that we analyze the carbon footprint of her Blanquette de Limoux. She rides her local wine shop in Berkeley, CA to buy the sparkling [...]

By: Bertrand

Bertrand — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:21:27 +0000

Very different from organic vs conventional farming, believe me Tyler, even though many organic-minded people may erroneously think it is not. We’ll discuss this more thoroughly one day.

By: Dr. Vino

Dr. Vino — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:31:22 +0000

Paul, yes we did take that into account thanks in part to your comment from a few months ago about this. It would be good to analyze one of those “carbon neutral” wineries. But it seems to me that they reduce as much as they can and then buy an offset for the rest. Is there a better way?

Bonnie - congrats, you’re the winner. Carbonanalysis coming up!

Bertrand, Dissent is allowed! This is not the Parker board!

That said, I have to respectfully disagree with you. Maybe it is a particularly American problem since we consume so much of the world’s energy, but virtually every industry and many consumers are thinking about their environmental impact. Organic vs conventional agriculture is certainly one component of it (that I know interests you) but greenhouse gas emissions is another aspect. Maybe you don’t think about it so much since you, in Paris, live in relatively close proximity to so many great vineyards? Purchasing carbon offsets may be akin to the old indulgences (as I’ve suggested before on this side) but doing a real offset by cutting back on one thing has to be a step in the right direction.

By: Bertrand

Bertrand — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 18:59:56 +0000

With the risk to appear as an heretic and be sent to burn at the stake (please don’t give me up, Tyler!), all this is getting out of control. This carbon obsession wears all the signs of a self-destructive new religion, complete with its phophets, its designated devils and even the possibility to buy indulgences (the utmost comic “carbon compensation”) like during the most boring years of the Catholic Church.
We already have these desert-tribe fanatics who want to blow us apart and don’t need this.
I’ll open a bottle tonight and choose the heaviest one as a revenge…;-)

By: Paul Sharp

Paul Sharp — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 23:29:20 +0000

Can’t think of one off the top of my head but perhaps one that makes some claim about carbon impact reduction.

I haven’t had the opportunity to read you full report but I’m interested if it takes into account the impact of shipping empty bottles to the bottling plant from another country where this happens.

I like your line of inquiry on this subject. Cheers

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 18:52:54 +0000

As a locavore, I mostly drink California wines, but I do have a weakness for a French sparkling wine, Blanquette de Limoux, made with organically grown grapes. It’s imported by Grape Expectations in Richmond CA and sold at my nearby store Berkeley Bowl, to which I ride my bike. How bad should this Ethicurean feel about drinking it?

By: Aaron Shaw

Aaron Shaw — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:03:52 +0000

If you are looking at the carbon impact of wines, check out Plantatree Wines. It is the first carbon positive wine, with the sale of every bottle a tree is planted. Plantatree Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are being launched this week in the Canadian province of Ontario.
http://www.plantatreewine.com