The Bilan Carbon, the Bordeaux Carbon Project
 
This study of the emissions made by the Bordeaux wine industry was initiated in January 2008, with the results announced in November 2008, after six months study and two months of interpreting the data.

The study examined the carbon impact of Bordeaux wine making during the growing season, vinification, bottling, packaging, delivery, as well as general electricity consumption in merchants' offices, cellars and so on. The work was undertaken by the Technical Service of the CVIB, under the direction of climatologist consultant Jean Marc Jancovici, who had previously carried out carbon studies for both LVMH and the Champagne Wine Body, and assisted by the Environment Agency. It employed a measuring technique developed by Jancovici.

The results revealed a production of 200,000 tonnes of carbon per year (to give some idea of what this means, the Champagne region found it produced around the same amount carbon when it did a similar study last year – 200,000 tonnes, or approximately 700g per bottle). This doesn’t make wine regions the worst offender – to make a comparison, according to a 2006 study published by the Guardian newspaper, an average UK city produces 200,000 tonnes of carbon per year in gas consumption alone, and 91 million tonnes from the UK’s private cars.

The breakdown of this figure for Bordeaux showed 45% came from production of materials such as glass and cork, 12% through moving personnel around, 10% on vinification processes, and 18% on transportation of wines.

Particularly significant emissions came from glass, at 42,500 tonnes per year, and overland transportation of wines, with 24,100 tonnes per year. Sales trips undertaken by chateaux and negociants, and the 550,000 annual wine tourists to the region, also came under the microscope, with these departures and arrivals creating 23,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.

Alain Vironneau, president of the Bordeaux Wine Bureau (CIVB), said at the press conference, ‘We intend to bring these figures down by 30,000 tonnes within five years, and to have an overall reduction of 75% by 2050.’

Some of the suggested strategies for this reduction include the use of lighter glass bottles, the reintroduction of sea transport for wines, the use of recyclable materials and energy-efficiency strategies and a more considered use of sales trips.

Sylvie Cazes, president of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, commented, ‘It is just as key right now to reduce use of energy and water as it is to think about ecological practises in the vineyard, and this study is a very useful tool for the whole of our industry.’

Bordeaux produces around 756 million bottles of wine per year, and that 40% of that number is exported.

 

A website, http://forum.bordeauxprof.com has been opened to receive feedback and suggestions for reducingk the emissions, and will be online until end of January 2009. The longterm policy will be presented on February 5 and the 2nd Bordeaux Environmental Forum.