Bojo No-vo, polar bears, and PR-oops
Today is the day that Beaujolais nouveau (aka NO-vo) is air-dropped on the world. Remember the carbon footprint! Say no to Nouveau for the polar bears.
Some nouveau is sent via ship and the carbon dioxide emissions of that mode of transport are considerably less. Sending a bottle of Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais nouveau by boat to New York creates about 1500g of CO2e. Flying it in creates about 6000g. So if you’re going to say cheers with nouveau, do it after the containers arrive via ship and say cheers tonight with a lovely cru Beaujolais that already is here, via boat.
Even if you wait, you’ll likely still be subsidizing the cost of air freight. The other day a retailer told me that they have to place an order for the all the no-vo they want for the year, say 30 cases. They ask for 10 to be delivered for sale today and have to pay more for those. Then the rest of the order comes later at a lower rate. So consumers pay two rates? No, it gets cost averaged so those who wait underwrite the speed (and carbon) of those who buy today.
And in related news, look what I am turning down, dear reader, in the name of lowering my own carbon footprint! This just in from a PR person:
I am writing you today to invite you and a friend to have the ultimate Beaujolais Nouveau experience. Just in case you have forgotten, this Thursday is Beaujolais Nouveau- a celebration of the first wine of the vintage. Each year our company, which represents the wine-producing region, parties in style with a hop-on/hop-off luxury-bus bar crawl to try different Nouveaus. What’s makes this party even more special is that in-between bar stops we make our way through the city drinking Beaujolais-Village and Beaujolais Cru wines served by fabulous “Beaujoladies” and “Beaujo-Beau.” If you would like to take part in this fun event please contact me directly via email or at (212) xxx-xxxx.
On November 15th, 2007 at 4:47 pm ,Steve wrote:
Isn’t luxury-bus an oxymoron? I guess it doesn’t really matter if you’re chuggin’ the Bojo Novo! Carbon bigfoot YO!
Yes Doc, you’ve safely sealed yourself out of the Georges Duboeuf awards. Yo da man!
On November 16th, 2007 at 8:50 am ,john witherspoon wrote:
Great write up and I couldn’t agree more. Plus Nouveau is no good anyway, so save your palate and the polar bears. haha
Thanks for the carbon reminder.
John
On January 8th, 2008 at 2:08 pm ,Dr Vino’s wine blog » Blog Archive » In Wine & Spirits talking about wine’s carbon footprint wrote:
[…] the year: because air freight has such a big effect on a bottle’s carbon footprint and much Beaujolais nouveau is sent around the world by plane, how about saying no to nouveau and making the third Thursday of November a global celebration of […]