Green Daily

Tyler Colman, of Dr. Vino.com, in a piece in the New York Times, writes about wine's carbon footprint. That's right, even your wine has a carbon footprint, and according to Colman, it might be bigger than you think.

According to Colman, the difference between organically- and conventionally- grown grapes is relatively small in terms of carbon intensity. It's the journey that your wine takes from the winery to the shop that is the issue.

For example, a Napa Valley wine in a glass bottle emits 2.6 pounds of carbon dioxide during its production and transportation from Napa to San Francisco. But take that same wine and send it to the East Coast, and you're looking at 5.7 pounds of carbon emissions; ship it by air and its carbon footprint quadruples. Why? The glass bottle weight contributes of course, so alternative packaging can help a bit.

But what's the best answer according to Colman? Drink locally-produced wine. Easy enough!