Reducing the carbon footprint of wine starts at the bottle

If you are looking for sustainably produced  wine  in a bottle shop or grocery store, you're likely to come across a number of sustainability concepts –  organic, biodynamic, natural . It is important that you familiarize yourself with what these claims mean (and what certifications are available to back them up). But if you're really interested in buying sustainable wine, the complexity of what's going on in the vineyard can't be the only consideration. Although  fertilizers, irrigation and pesticides  play a role in the overall sustainability of a bottle of wine, if you're focusing on greenhouse gas emissions, don't forget the container it's packaged in. Sustainability certifications for wine generally do not take into account how the wine is packaged – let alone how far it must then travel to reach its final destination. But according to a 2022 review of studies on the carbon emissions of the wine industry, packaging is regularly cited as a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, often producing more emissions than grape growing and winemaking combined. (SAMANTHA MAXWELL)