The ethical drinker: Climate ‘trailblazers’ championed in new book

How far would you go to reduce your carbon footprint? I calculated mine and was rather shocked to discover that, despite being a vegetarian, recycling meticulously, buying locally where I can and not owning a car, my annual footprint is well over the UK target.

My self-righteousness took a blow. The key culprit? Travel – flying, mainly – equating to eight tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Roughly the weight of 63 giant pandas, apparently.

Author Camilla Gjerde almost certainly has a lower carbon footprint than me. She stopped flying some time ago, as did Alsace winemaker Yannick Meckert, about whom she writes in her book Natural Trailblazers: 13 Ways to Climate- Friendly Wine (£29 Now What Publishing).

While carrying out research for the book, she travelled only by train and bike (save for a few emergency taxis).

Gjerde took inspiration from sustainability researcher Kimberly Nicholas and her book Under the Sky We Make (Penguin, 2021), which focuses on what we as individuals can do to reduce our carbon footprint.

And so, focusing on carbon emissions reduction, Gjerde highlights 13 people who are determined to reduce wine’s climate footprint, bringing their stories to life on the page.

She has split these groundbreakers into three areas: in the vineyard, in the winery and on the move. From the Jura producer using regenerative organic farming in her 3ha vineyard to the Swiss wine-grower capturing carbon with biochar and the importer bringing a portion of its wines into Copenhagen by sailing ship, each story is different and inspiring in its own right.

This well-researched book is much more than simply a collection of winemaker profiles. Gjerde is hyper-perceptive and it’s her astute observations that give so much colour to each story.

In sharing those stories, Gjerde shows that having a stable business while drastically reducing carbon emissions is entirely possible, and wants to inspire others to consider it.

‘It’s just 13 examples of what can be done, without it having to ruin your budget. Often when I’ve read about what wine producers can do, it costs a lot. I needed examples that people could implement, without it costing a lot of money,’ says Gjerde.

But these are vineyards on a tiny scale. I wondered whether she believes that the entire industry can be sustainable, or at least more climate friendly. ‘I do believe in consumer power, and if consumers were all really interested, I think we would be able to change, perhaps not the whole industry, but a lot,’ she says.

‘In Sweden, where I live, bag-in-boxes represent more than 50% of sales. Consumers have shown that they’re really open to alternatives to bottles.

‘In the book, [I describe how] Ida Sundqvist, the importer in Sweden, has managed to get the big firms and lots of conventional wine into kegs. So I think yes, at least the majority of the wine business is possible to change.’

Sip to make a difference

Beck-Hartweg, Riesling Grand Cru Frankstein, Alsace, France 2021 | 93pts

£38.90-£39.40 Cave Bristol, Sip Wines

I was somewhat familiar with this producer – its pét-nat was the juice of the summer a few years ago – so I was delighted to find them in the book. This Riesling has a golden hue – hinting at either skin maceration or a symptom of zero added sulphur, or both – and a nose of warm lemons, oyster shell, ripe mango and paraffin. It’s electric in the mouth. There’s some trapped carbon dioxide, so when first opened it’s a touch spritzy before it dissipates. It has all the structure, tension and heft of a grand cru Riesling with a little wild character, too. Organic. Drink 2025-2035. Alcohol 13%.

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