Comments on: Carbonanalyzed: Blanquette de Limoux to Berkeley

By: Wicker Parker

Wicker Parker — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 03:39:19 +0000

Great stuff! Many thanks. I have long assumed, incorrectly, that my beloved French wines get here via much less earth-friendly methods than do Oregon wines, in so far as greenhouse gases are concerned.

Still, with regard to your paper, I’d be interested in a more apples-to-apples comparison, as most people do not order Napa cabs direct via overnight air. How would an organically- and dry-farmed 2005 Volnay stack up to its like-farmed Oregon Pinot equivalent, assuming each are shipped to Chicago retail stores in refrigerated units? I wonder since the former region is much further from an Atlantic port than, say, Loire or Bordeaux.

By: The Ethicurean: Chew the right thing. » Blog Archive » Digest - Blogs: Let’s scrap the Farm Bill, winter marketing, the golden age of apples

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 12:12:30 +0000

[...] has been quaffing a lot lately … and will probably continue to do so, only with more guilt. (Dr Vino) File under Digest, Farm Bill, News, Markets, Fruits & vegetables. [...]

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:33:09 +0000

Thanks Dr. V! Very intresting. Not sure I feel so good about it that total, given all the choices I have here in near, dear California wine regions.

I should have told you the producer name, sorry. I thought you were omniscient. Delmas Cuvee Berlene 2004. A cheapie but I think very tasty. Has always had plenty of bubbles, btw, so I guess I can thank a reefer, which makes me feel even guiltier…

By: Dr. Vino

Dr. Vino — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:38:46 +0000

Hi Amy,

Thanks for the comment. Yes, perhaps it was reefer shipped and it certainly is better for the wine. If so, Bonnie’s bottle of Blanquette (alliteration!) would have 400g extra CO2e.

And, yes, I calculated the wine to leave from a port in the south of France, not traverse Iberia by truck as the map misleadingly indicates. (those pesky maps!)

By: lagramiere

lagramiere — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:32:47 +0000

Hopefully Bonnie’s bottle of Blanquette was transported in a reefer (temperature controlled container)… otherwise who knows what it might taste like, or whether it still had bubbles after that long trip through the Panama canal!! It’s certainly less desirable vis-a-vis the carbon footprint, but better for the wine… It’s a dilemma. One thing that might balance it out a bit is that usually, depending on where they are going of course, wines from southern France are shipped directly out of a Mediterranean port like Fos-sur-Mer, and not put on a truck that traverses Spain. It certainly depends though, and it makes one think!!