Monday, 22 January, 2024
Wine Enthusiast, Jim Gordon
I blame the Napa RISE organisers and the dinner hosts, Jean Charles Boisset and Gina Gallo, for this moment of clarity.
What I did afterward was start a personal research project. It’s on an aspect of wine production that has been identified as the biggest target wineries can aim at to reduce their carbon footprints and thus reduce the amount of climate-changing gases their operations are responsible for releasing into our ever-warmer atmosphere.
I began weighing all the 750 ml. bottles of wine that Napa and Sonoma wineries sent me to review in blind tastings once they were empty. What I’ve found so far is dramatic. Having weighed 709 wines since May, my data show the average weight is 660 grams or 1 lb. 7 ounces. That is not bad, compared to the heaviest bottles, which weighed almost twice that: more than 1,200 grams or nearing 2 lbs. 11 ounces.
But 660 grams is still a lot heavier than it needs to be. An impressive 102 bottles came in under 500 grams, showing that it’s feasible to use lightweight, climate-friendly bottles and not go out of business.
To read the full article, click HERE.