Decanter World Wine AwardsKiwi wine to display carbon emissions, by the glass
- Monday 1 November 2010
Each bottle of Mobius Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc will display its carbon emissions, per 125ml glass, on the label.
The carbon emissions, which are calculated to measure the environmental impact of factors such as transportation and refrigeration, will be measured separately for each different export market.
Bottles shipped in New Zealand, for example, will carry a figure of 140g CO2, whereas bottles sold in Australia will display 190g.
A higher figure is due to be calculated for the UK market.
The timing of the launch comes at a time when low prices, rather than environmental concerns, are driving wine sales.
Craig Fowles, sustainability and compliance coordinator at The New Zealand Wine Company, which produces Mobius, admitted: 'Price is still the number one factor for consumers. Ethics and the environment are lower priorities. But after the recession, people will be looking for products that give them a warm fuzzy feeling.'
A 750ml bottle of wine at 190g CO2 per glass equates to a 5km car journey or 14km ride on the London underground.
Have your say!
Kevin Beck
April 29 21:26
I'm perplexed that anyone buying the wine would really care. This is useless as forcing the wines labeled for sale in America with the slogan, "Contains sulfites."
UncorkedLove
November 05 12:32
I think this is great, and I commend the Kiwi's for joining this trend! I've started to see a few bottles in Canada that indicate their wines were made with the environment in mind, etc.
We need to become more aware of our environmental impact, and as consumers we need to start to value this more.
The more carbon emissions we create, the higher risk we are for climate change - which will ultimately affect the quality of our vines and grapes. And a world without good wine, or wine at all, is no world I want to live in!
I blog about wine and the environment, and much more, on my website! http://uncorkedlove.wordpress.com
Westerman
November 03 12:00
"A 750ml bottle of wine at 190g CO2 per glass equates to a 5km car journey or 14km ride on the London underground."
Does that mean that a 5km car trip equates one glass or one bottle? At what speed? Up-hill or down-hill?
The problem with measurements like these is that they are not unequivocal.
Alvaro Covarrubias
November 02 18:06
Sometimes Kiwis just try too hard.