Green Drinking

Not many people think, “I wonder what the carbon footprint of this bottle is?” Don’t worry if you don’t because the carbon footprint of wine is not something that is common knowledge. We may know the carbon footprint of a gas guzzling car, or the green credentials of cycling to work, but wine is something most do not consider.  

The carbon emission of wine can begin from the very start, from the process of fermentation to when it ends up in your wine glass. Wine is made from grapes and those guys that grow grapes or viticulturists (as we like to call them) use fertilisers. Fertilisers play an important role in the nourishment of grapes, but they also create carbon dioxide emissions. Thankfully, this is only a very small percentage of carbon dioxide as grape growing doesn’t need as much fertiliser as other plants.

However, these are processes which cannot be helped if we want a good quality wine. What can be helped is what we do after the wine is made, more specifically, how they end up in your wine glass.

Wine comes from all over the globe. In the UK we enjoy the tastes of wines from regions of France to across the ocean in Chile. These bottles of wine travel great distances to get to you and the most common method of transport is shipping. A lot of the wines we tend to drink also travel via plane which produces 11 times more greenhouse gas emissions than those wines that travel by sea and 5 times more than travelling by truck.  Transport is one of the main factors increasing the carbon dioxide released into the environment and unfortunately, wine, being a big traveller, contributes to this.

Greener living is on the increase and while we may do our bit by switching off the lights, installing solar panels and increasingly using public transport, the carbon footprint of products is still a big issue. In fact while transport may seem like the biggest offender, nearly half of the carbon footprint comes from comes from the actual packaging. This means 46% of carbon emissions are released due to the cork and the glass alone (Moritz Buhner-KnowtheFlow.com).

As an environmentally responsible business, Wine Deals Direct has introduced 100% recyclable packaging for all their deliveries. Bottles are sold in no less than cases of 6, creating an eco-friendly system as packaging (and transport) is not wasted for just one bottle. A consumer buying in cases of 6 not only saves from making numerous trips to the shops but also saves them more money and less burnt fossil fuel! So while transport is a big culprit in CO2 emissions, the business is modelled so transportation of bottles is more efficient and much more environmentally friendly.  In short terms, we encourage wine carpooling and as a result, our carbon footprint is on the decrease.

Wine Deals Direct has emerged as a company that is continuously working to boost its green credentials. We recognise that a green business is the way forward; satisfying both customers and the Earth. So take a swirl and have a sip of your red with a green conscience, just make sure to recycle our cardboard packaging and the glass bottle after!