Shipping wine by sea is the most environmentally friendly option – but you'll be waiting for your tipple, writes JOHN WILSON.
HOW GREEN IS wine? Between 60 and 70 per cent of a wine’s total carbon emissions come from making both wine and bottle, as well as the journey we consumers make to buy that bottle in our local off-licence or supermarket. This includes shipping corks, barrels and bottles around the globe. The remaining 30 to 40 per cent comes from transporting the wine itself. Several years ago, Dr Tyler Coleman, who writes a website under the name Dr Vino (www.drvino.com), collaborated with sustainability expert Pablo Paster to determine how damaging wine is to the environment.
Although most vineyards require fertiliser, as well as fungicides and pesticides, apparently these requirements are small compared to other crops. I would have thought that the biggest environmental problem created is water use, but this is not mentioned in the report. Most vineyards located in sunny, dry areas are irrigated, and large amounts of water are also used in making wine. In many regions, water is in short supply, and must be purchased. The use of huge tracts of deserts, and deforestation in other areas would also make a difference. But, overall, making wine does not have a huge impact on the environment. Quite often the determining factor is how that wine gets to you, the drinker.
We Irish drink some eight million cases of wine each year. A fair proportion of those come from Australia and Chile. You might think that drinking a bottle of new world wine racks up a fairly massive carbon footprint. After all, it must undertake a six-week voyage half-way around the globe to reach us. However, the Australians, New Zealanders and Californians (all of whom have a vested interest in this) have done a fair amount of research on the subject and argue, with some fairly impressive statistics to back them up, that it is not the distance, but the mode of transport that counts.
They have come up with an online greenhouse gas calculator that will measure the carbon footprint of any bottle of wine. In fact, it is quite possible that a wine from the Loire Valley, the nearest vineyards to us here in Ireland, may have a greater carbon footprint than a bottle that has travelled all the way from Australia.
Coleman agrees, and found, not surprisingly, that air transport is the worst offender, followed by road transport, and then shipping by container by sea. Shipping by sea has five times less impact than a truck. Shipping in bulk, in lighter bottles, plastic bottles, or Tetra-packs all further lowers the carbon footprint, but we are fairly conservative in this country and prefer our wine in a glass bottle.
Fair Wind Wine is a project dreamt up by Frenchman Frédéric Albert. The CMTV (Compagnie de Transport Maritime á la Voile) uses sailing ships to transport wine from the Languedoc to Ireland. This, they claim, will create 77 per cent less carbon emissions than by normal freight. Having seen several news items in this paper over the past year, I have to admit to being a little sceptical of the entire operation. Most importers want their wine shipped as quickly and as cheaply as possible; naturally they will show some interest in the world around them, but as with any business the bottom line comes first. However, the operation appears to be succeeding.
The Kathleen & Mayrecently docked in Dublin to take part in the Docklands Maritime Festival, carrying 12,000 bottles of wine. This was the third such shipment to Ireland, and there have also been deliveries to the UK and Montreal. Fair Wind Wine has now sold 50,000 bottles of wine in this country, and the company has fairly ambitious expansion plans, including commissioning a new purpose-built sailing vessel to transport larger consignments around the world. In case you are wondering how the wine gets to its embarkation port, it is transported along the Canal du Midi to Bordeaux for onward shipment.
Some 59 retailers now stock Fair Wind wines, including 26 independent off-licences (through Noffla, the association of off-licences) as well as O’Brien’s. In addition, major importers such as Febvre and Gilbeys have shipped wine. Fair Wind Wine are now working on the return journey, and are in discussions with a variety of Irish producers, including Irish Distillers and Edun, Ali Hewson’s fashion business, to see if they can ship cargo back to France.
WINES OF THE WEEK
This week all six are from Fair Wind Wine.
Viognier, Domaine de Gourgazaud 2008, Vin de pays d'Oc, 13.5%, €12.99 for June and July. Ihave been a fan of this property for many years, and was delighted to see they are a part of Fair Wind Wines. This is, like the Viognier below, is a lovely ripe plump wine, full of juicy fruits countered by a citrus tang; perfect with Asian seafood and chicken dishes. It also went very nicely with my Chinese stir-fried vegetables. Definitely worth trying over the summer months. Stockist: O'Brien's.
Domaine Valambelle 2008, Faugères Rosé, 13%, €13.95.Food is required for this medium- to full-bodied rosé; rich red fruits given real zip and balance by a strong mineral element. Try it with Asian-style grilled salmon, with soy sauce, ginger and mirin. Stockists: McCabe's, Blackrock and Foxrock; Kiely's, Mount Merrion; Holland's, Bray.
Domaine la Croix Sainte Eulalie Saint Chinian 2008, 13.5%, €14.Compact, elegant wine, with a floral nose and some real substance. Refined dark fruits, a subtle herbiness and a positive finish. Drink alongside herby meatballs in a tomato sauce. Stockists: Deveney's, Rathmines; Holland's, Bray; McCabe's, Blackrock and Foxrock; Deveney's, Dundrum.
Château Bellefontaine, Vieilles Vignes Saint Chinian 2005, 13.5%, €12.99.This one is made of sterner stuff, with muscular, brooding, dark fruits, an earthy touch, and well-integrated but firm, dry tannins kicking in on the finish. Good with a char-grilled steak. Stockists: Martin's, Fairview; Holland's, Bray; Deveney's, Dundrum.
TWO UNDER €12
Viognier Les Vignerons de St. Dezery, Vin de pays d'Oc 2008, 12.5%, €11.99.Succulent plump, peachy fruits, with a lively, tangy finish. This would sit very nicely alongside lightly spicy shellfish and chicken dishes; think mild green curries and fish cakes. Stockists: McCabe's, Blackrock and Foxrock; Gibney's, Malahide; Cellars, Naas Road; Deveney's, Dundrum; Martin's, Fairview; Sláinte, Stillorgan.
Les Pierres Bleues Cabernet Sauvignon Boisé 2007, Vin de pays d'Oc, 13.5%, €10.99.I am not always a fan of Languedoc Cabernet, but this is a fine example at a very decent price. It has that lean Cabernet structure, with well-managed dry tannins to contrast with the cassis fruits. The oak is there, but never dominates. This would make a very good weekday special to drink with red meat dishes or some hard cheese. Stockists: McCabe's, Blackrock and Foxrock; Cellars, Naas Road; Sláinte, Stillorgan.