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Jim Gordon | Wine Enthusiast
Earlier this year at a dinner with many witnesses, I pledged to do something more to help fight climate change. I blame the Napa RISE organizers and the dinner hosts, JeanCharles Boisset and Gina Gallo, for this moment of clarity.
What I did afterward was start a personal research project. It’s on an aspect of wine production that has been identified as the biggest target wineries can aim at to reduce their carbon footprints and thus reduce the amount of climate-changing gases their operations are responsible for releasing into our ever-warmer atmosphere.
I began weighing all the 750 ml. bottles of wine that Napa and Sonoma wineries sent me to review in blind tastings once they were empty. What I’ve found so far is dramatic. Having weighed 709 wines since May, my data show the average weight is 660 grams or 1 lb. 7 ounces. That is not bad, compared to the heaviest bottles, which weighed almost twice that: more than 1,200 grams or nearing 2 lbs. 11 ounces.
But 660 grams is still a lot heavier than it needs to be. An impressive 102 bottles came in under 500 grams, showing that it’s feasible to use lightweight, climate-friendly bottles and not go out of business.
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The featherweight champs included familiar names like Bouchaine, Gundlach Bundschu, Grgich Hills, Charles Krug, La Crema and Silverado, as well as boutique outfits like Joseph Jewell and Complant. Patent Sauvignon Blanc was the only bottle so far that clocked in under 400 grams.
The lightest bottles tended to carry the lightest types of wine—Sauvignon Blanc, rosé, one Vermentino. All the heaviest bottles, those over 1,000 grams, housed— no surprise—full-bodied and tannic Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux-style red blends.
Those heavy bottles cost more for wineries to buy, more to ship out, put more physical demands on winery workers who schlep cases from the bottling line to stack on pallets, more effort for delivery drivers, sommeliers and store clerks, plus they don’t fit on many store shelves and wine racks.
Adding in the weight of the wine itself, a case of the heaviest Cabernet in my study weighs 51 lbs., while a case of lighter-weight bottles of Cabernet by a brand like Elizabeth Spencer or Greg Norman only weighs 32 lbs. The difference is vast.
And the difference represents vastly more fossil fuels to produce the heavier bottles, to ship the bottles to wineries and then from wineries to distributors when full. It makes a significant difference in a winery’s carbon footprint to go to lighter glass. This in turn means less carbon dioxide is being sent up into the sky, which goes toward slowing global warming and all the catastrophes it is already causing.
So why don’t more wineries go there? Are lighter bottles not available?
“Dozens of choices are available,” says Rich Bouwer, CEO of Free Flow Wines in Sonoma, a speaker at Napa RISE and a former winery and wine bottle company exec. “If you’re above 800 grams per bottle you are not trying. What it’s about is that brand position is more important than the carbon footprint.”
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A deep-seated misperception exists that a heavier bottle means a higher quality wine that deserves a higher price. Or does it? Marketing experts say that younger consumers value transparency, low-intervention practices, organic and sustainability credentials. Hefty glass would seem anathema to that.
“We’re going to teach the consumers that lighter weight is a good thing,” says Katie Leonardini at Whitehall Lane Winery in Napa Valley. “To be sustainable means having a smaller carbon footprint and that’s good for everyone.”
Of course, you don’t have to wait. I hope that the next time you pick up an especially heavy bottle in a wine shop or liquor store, your decision to buy or not to buy is carefully weighed.
This article originally appeared in the November 2023 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Click here to subscribe today!
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About Napa Green: The Napa Green 501c3 is a global leader in sustainable winegrowing, setting the highest bar for sustainability and climate action in the wine industry. Napa Green facilitates whole system soil to bottle certification for wineries and vineyards, and provides the expertise, boots-on-the-ground support, and resources to continually improve. Learn more at https://napagreen.org/participating-members/.
Anna Brittain
Napa Green
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Uniquely, Napa Green isn’t just a roadmap of leading practices. Napa Green provides an expert, boots-on-the-ground consulting team that develops:
✅ Regenerative Carbon Farm Plans (to enhance soil health, biodiversity, resilience, and carbon storage)
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Additionally, we support soil sampling and analysis, provide resource assistance, run practical training and education workshops throughout the year, and provide valuable, hands-on guidance in meeting your climate action goals.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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Napa Green’s vineyard team is trained to develop regenerative, whole-farm Carbon Farm Plans (CFPs). These plans review all of the current beneficial practices that are increasing soil and ecosystem health and storing carbon, and identify additional opportunities to regenerate the soil and vineyard ecosystem and simultaneously maximize carbon capture in a given property. Each vineyard’s goal is to become carbon neutral (or negative) and increase the resilience of vineyards, businesses, and our community.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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Clear pathways for employee advancement are essential for a thriving workforce and driving success. They boost retention, job satisfaction, productivity, and attract top talent. Napa Green Certified members develop pathways for growth, discussing career goals and progress with employees during reviews.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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Forests are not only our largest terrestrial carbon sink, they are also home to 80% of the world’s on-land diversity. We need healthy forests, which means a balanced density of native trees and plants. Healthy forests experience lower intensity fires with less tree mortality, meaning higher carbon retention and ecosystem function.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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Napa Green Certified Wineries benefit from an on-site Integrated Resource Assessment (IRA) led by our experienced engineers and winemakers. This IRA evaluates resource metrics, monitors progress, and identifies areas for improvement to increase efficiency and save $$$.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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All of our members are committed to using at least 60% renewable energy, whether through on-site solar and other renewable sources or by working with @mcecleanenergy to access clean power through the grid. The impact? Over 1.2 million pounds of CO2e saved by wineries and vineyards in just one year. To put that into perspective it’s the equivalent to offsetting the emissions from driving over 1.5 million miles in a typical gas-powered car!
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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As part of their commitment to sustainability, Napa Green Certified Winery members collaborate with key suppliers and utilize their purchasing power to support eco-friendly practices. In the same way, we can make a difference at home by choosing materials made from post-consumer recycled materials, and selecting reusable, recyclable, compostable, biodegradable, and non-toxic products.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness #greenpurchasing #supplychain
Napa Green Certified Vineyards implement climate-smart burn practices, such as Conservation Burning, Flame Cap Kilns, and Air Curtain Burners. These practices reduce smoke and emissions and create biochar. Biochar is re-fossilized wood that provides long-term carbon storage. Even more compelling, when inoculated and applied with compost, biochar aids in water retention and increases water and fertilizer efficiency.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
📍 @gloriaferrerwinery
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Napa Green Certified Vineyards implement practices to create habitat for beneficial wildlife, including bluebirds, owls, bats, and raptors. Members may also install boxes and perches if trees or other natural perches aren’t present to encourage these animals in the vineyard. These measures are part of a broader commitment to sustainable and regenerative farming practices.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
📷 @soilrainandhope
📍 @tressaboreswinery
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While vineyards don’t directly require pollination, pollinators still play a vital role in the overall health of our ecosystems. Increased biodiversity leads to better soil health, water retention and can attract beneficial insects. Plus, pollinators are friend shaped! 🐝
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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Green teams offer a multitude of benefits, ranging from enhanced employee engagement and a culture of sustainability to cost savings and improved environmental performance.
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Napa Green Vineyard members located along waterways maintain and enhance riparian areas for wildlife habitat, erosion control, creek/river health and carbon storage.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
📷 @briana_marie
📍 @dominusestatewinery
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