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Last week, I wrote about the LCBO’s new standard for lightweight bottles that they will implement in 2013.
But do you know there’s something that you can do now to encourage suppliers to use lightweight bottles? It’s easy…buy wines in lightweight bottles!
Now I know what you’re thinking…do I really expect you to stand in the aisle of the LCBO, weighing different bottles, trying to figure out which one weighs the least?
If only there was a list of available wines in lightweight bottles…
There is! Tucked away in the sustainability section on its website, the LCBO has a list of wines that are in lightweight bottles: click here to access the list. It's pretty much up to date, according to the LCBO.
Not sure why the LCBO doesn’t blow its own horn more on its sustainability efforts. It should feature this list more prominently…or highlight that a wine comes in a lightweight bottle on its website’s “Product Search” feature…but now you know.
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Occasionally I give the LCBO, our provincial liquor monopoly, a kick in the pants. Any government-owned monopoly gets many advantages and we should expect it to show leadership across the “Board”.
Last year, I asked what the LCBO was doing to encourage its suppliers to use lighter-weight bottles. Such a move would lower our collective carbon footprint.
When you’re the largest buyer of wine and spirits in the world, you can push suppliers in the right direction. For several years now, Britain’s Tesco (the world’s third largest retailer) has been pushing its wine suppliers to use lighter-weight bottles. Suppliers listen to big retailers. Wal Mart is well-known for “persuading” suppliers to do its bidding, which can work wonders when used in socially responsible causes.
Fair is fair, though. When the LCBO does something right, they deserve a pat on the back.
The good news?
Earlier this month, the LCBO wrote to trade associations to inform them that the LCBO will implement a new lightweight glass bottle standard on January 1, 2013. After that date, all wine bottles priced at less than $15 must weigh no more than 420 grams. Sparkling wines are exempt. The LCBO has also given a partial exemption to “Hock” bottles, those tall bottles that the Germans and Alsatians use. These bottles are limited to 450 grams.
Suppliers of wines sold at more than $15 should expect the standard would affect them eventually. The LCBO says it will give preference to those “premium” suppliers who use lighter-weight bottles.
Although it’s easy to quibble that the implementation period is too long, or that the weight limit should be even lower, let’s give the LCBO a pat on the back for showing leadership in sustainability practices.
Bravo!
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Good environmental news, via Decanter, from the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne. Within 2 years, Champagne producers plan to release 95% of all Champagne in bottles that are 7% lighter. The new bottles are the same size, cost the same, and are just as strong.
Lighter bottles mean less energy used in transport and fewer carbon emissions. CIVC projects that switching to the lighter bottle reduces the region's carbon footprint by 8,000 tonnes, equivalent to emissions from 4,000 cars, which is part of its goal to reduce its carbon footprint by 25% in 2020.
It also means fewer injuries for staff at the liquor store.
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Ever notice how often fine winemakers combine their pursuit of better winemaking with doing the right thing environmentally? Somehow, making better wine and respecting the environment seems to go hand-in-hand. Sustainability isn’t a constraint for these winemakers, it’s an enabler: helping wines to express their true nature, without additives, undue adjustments, or “enhancements”.
I’ve posted about how biodynamic winemaking is better for the environment. But there are other substantial ways in which individual winemakers are seeking sustainability. And what about initiatives that go beyond individual winemakers, that span an entire region? Two of the world’s pre-eminent wine growing regions recently launched initiatives in sustainability.
The California Sustainable Winegrowing Program, started in 2001, now offers a certification program, Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CCSW-Certified). The goals of the certification program are to “advance the entire California wine industry toward best practices in environmental stewardship, conservation of natural resources and socially equitable business practices.”
To help allay the appearance of greenwashing, independent auditors review the sustainability practices of these winemakers. 17 companies, listed below, have received certification for some or all of their vineyard and winery operations:
- Clos LaChance Wines (Santa Clara County)
- Concannon Vineyard/Concannon Winery (Livermore)
- Constellation Wines U.S. (Multiple Counties)
- Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards (Santa Cruz Mountains)
- Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines (Napa County)
- E. & J. Gallo Winery (Sonoma County)
- Fetzer Vineyards / Bonterra Vineyards (Mendocino County)
- Goldeneye Winery (Mendocino County)
- Honig Vineyard & Winery (Napa County)
- J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines (San Luis Obispo County)
- Kunde Family Estate (Sonoma County)
- Meridian Vineyards (San Luis Obispo County)
- Monterey Pacific Inc. (Monterey County)
- Roberts Vineyard Services (San Luis Obispo County)
- Rodney Strong Wine Estates (Sonoma County)
- The Hess Collection (Napa County)
- Vino Farms, Inc. (San Joaquin County)
To date, another 1,500 California vintners and growers – representing approximately 60% of the state’s wine production and vineyard acreage – have self-assessed their operations, an intermediate step towards certification.
Meanwhile, Decanter reports that, “Bordeaux is aiming to be 'world leader in winemaking sustainability' with the launch of an Environmental Management System.” The goal of Le Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB) is to reduce the 200,000 tonnes of carbon produced annually by the Bordeaux wine industry by 25% by 2020 and by 75% by 2050. Similar to California, the CIVB will provide training and conduct audits, starting with a pilot study with 20 companies. The intention is for them all to achieve an internationally-recognised standard, ISO 14001.
These regions are trying to do the right thing. We can all do the right thing by keeping an eye out for environmentally-responsible winemakers when we're shopping!
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Decanter reports that the world's lightest wine bottle will be on the shelves in UK supermarket Tesco this week. At 300g, the lightweight bottle has nearly 30% less glass than the average Tesco own-label wine bottle, creating less carbon emissions, both in production and in transportation. (Most wine bottles weigh in at 650g but some come in at well over a kilogram!) The 300g bottle has the same impact resistance as Tesco’s standard bottle.
For several years now, Tesco (the world’s third largest retailer) has been pushing its wine suppliers to use lighter-weight bottles. Suppliers listen to big retailers. Wal Mart is renown for “persuading” suppliers to do its bidding, which can work wonders when used in socially responsible causes.
So I have to ask, what is the LCBO doing? After all, they are the world’s largest purchaser of wine and spirits. First stop was the LCBO website, where they do have an “Enviro Report”…from 2007. Time for an enviro update, LCBO folks! There is a video there about alternative packaging. It’s focussed on non-glass alternatives: tetra-paks, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and aluminium. I guess these alternatives are OK for plonk, but convincing wine producers or consumers that wine belongs in any of them is an uphill battle. So, I asked them, what is the LCBO (and Vintages) doing to encourage its wine and spirit producers to use lighter-weight bottles? Is bottle weight a factor in wines that the LCBO purchases for its stores, on-line exclusives, or Classics Catalogue?
I received replies from 2 different people at the LCBO. Here’s the first one:
The LCBO is actively seeking to source products that minimize the use of glass in bottles. In its most recent product call notice, Vintages has indicated to agents and suppliers that they are interested in purchasing products bottled in lightweight glass. Within our General Purchase Wines category, priority is also [to] be given to products packaged in lightweight glass. In our General Purchase Spirits and Beers category, agents and suppliers have been advised that special consideration will be given to products in environmentally-friendly packaging.
Sounds good, if not very assertive.
Ultimately, it’s up to us consumers to put more pressure on the LCBO and Vintages, and on wine producers. Every time you go shopping for wine, make bottle weight a consideration in your purchase. A heavyweight bottle may imply quality to a gullible consumer, but, in fact, you'll rarely find high-end wines in those glass doorstops: they’re just a 3 dressed up as a 9. Leave that Schwarzenegger of a bottle on the shelf; go for the Woody Allen.
And here’s an idea for the LCBO. Help us consumers make an informed decision. Just like you’re identifying organic wines, why not identify the environmentally responsible choice of lightweight bottles in the store and in the Vintage offerings?
I’ll keep my eye out for wines in lightweight bottles and let you know about them. It’s one more way to reduce our carbon footprint.
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In my previous post, I looked at what Biodynamic, organic, and natural wines are. Now that we’ve got definitions out of the way, let’s look at why we should be seeking out these wines. What makes these wines better? For me, there are three reasons: distinctive and better taste, they’re better for your health, and it’s better for the environment.
Taste
Grapes get a lot of their taste from the type of soil that the vine grows in. [Oops...this was an oversimplification. See my follow-up post.] And soil composition can be very individualistic; varying significantly even from the soil in a neighbouring plot. Because the goal is to draw all their nutrients from the soil itself (rather than being fed any synthetic fertilizers), organic vines are more reflective of their specific place (what us wine fans call terroir). If the winemaker then takes a classic Old World approach to vinification, allowing the wine to express what the terroir contributes to the grape, then wines made from organic and Biodynamic grapes reflect a distinctive nose and palate. If like me, you tire of too many wines manipulated to taste the same, and you long for wines that are distinctive, that reflect from where they come, then start looking at organic and Biodynamic wines.
OK, distinctive, but is it better? Lots of blind tastings say, yes! One example. In 2004, Fortune magazine organized a blind tasting of 10 pairs of wines, where the grapes were grown near each other, from the same vintage, one Biodynamic and one conventional. The result? The tasters judged that the Biodynamic wine was better in 9 out of 10 cases: better aromas, flavours, and textures. Over the past 15 years, Biodynamics has become more popular among winemakers who care about making better wines. An accurate count can be hard to come by, but one source lists 529 winemakers in 16 countries using Biodynamic practices, including several high-profile vintners. And the list is growing. Although it’s possible that some growers are jumping onto the Biodynamic bandwagon as a marketing gimmick, many more have gone Biodynamic because their passion is to produce the best wine that they can.
Some critics doubt that Biodynamic practices themselves will produce better wines. Rather, they argue that Biodynamic practices are very painstaking and that’s why the wines are better: these Biodynamic winemakers simply put even more care and attention into growing the grapes and making the wine. Ah, but many wine drinkers don’t care why it works, just as long as we have more wines that are delicious!
Health
Various research studies show that consuming wine in moderation yields health benefits, with one compound, occurring naturally in grape skins, singled out: resveratrol. Researchers link resveratrol to, among other things, improving cardiovascular health and endurance, fighting cancer cells, and slowing aging. For a grape, resveratrol acts as a natural fungus killer. But in vineyards where the vintner uses synthetic fungicides, the grapes produce significantly less resveratrol. Of course, this means that organic and Biodynamic grapes have higher levels of resveratrol. Want more of the benefits of resveratrol? Look for wines made from organic and Biodynamic grapes.
Environmental Responsibility
The debate continues on the toxic effect of pesticides on people, animals, and the environment. It’s clear, though, that organic and Biodynamic viticulture reduces synthetic pesticide, fungicide, and nutrient runoff, simply because growers shun such practices. So if you want to help reduce pesticide levels, support organic and Biodynamic wineries.
So, how do you find these wines? Ask at the store where you buy wine. If they don’t know about organic or Biodynamic wines, find another store. In Ontario, Vintages is doing a good job of identifying organic and Biodynamic wines in their catalogues, and their stores now have a separate (if too small) section for organic wines. Check the back label on the bottle. If a winery uses organic or Biodynamic practices, they’ll want you to know. Many wineries have a website and aren’t shy about telling you about how their grapes are grown and their wines are made. And you can always check back here. If I find one, I’ll let you know!
Organic and Biodynamic practices are no panacea. A winemaker is still at the mercy of the climate and can still mess up in the cellar. But whether you want wines that taste better and distinctive, or you want a greater health benefit from wine, or you want to support winemakers that are using more environmentally responsible practices, keep an eye out for these wines.
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