Drink wine and save the planet: The rise of eco-conscious wine

What if you could help to save the planet with your wine choices? Most of us have dabbled (some unknowingly, some enthusiastically) - and many of us are converted - to drinking wines that are kinder to the earth. ‘Natural’, ‘organic’, ‘biodynamic’ are words that have flooded the industry over the past few years and they are no longer on the wacky fringes of the sector. Although there are some staunch traditionalists, it is widely accepted that gentler practices in the vineyard result in healthier, longer-lasting vines, which produce tastier, more character-driven fruit. Grapes on steroids are no longer en vogue.

But, some wineries and wine brands believe that we can all go further. A beautiful wine made in a gravity-fed winery from organically and biodynamically farmed grapes is wonderful, but then it’s packaged in a heavy glass bottle, closed with a non-recyclable cork and decorated with plastic wrapping around the neck of the bottle, like one of those school ties on an elastic band (which also lack any real purpose).

Save the planet with canned wine

Do we even need bottles? Glass bottles are heavy and require extra packaging to ship safely. There’s now high quality wine available in cans, bypassing the bottle altogether, and reducing carbon emissions drastically, due to their lighter weight and stackable design. Aluminium cans are infinitely recyclable and, though glass bottles can also be recycled, people are more likely to recycle cans. Most glass bottles actually end up in landfill.

The wine inside the can is getting better and better. True, there’s canned wine out there that has artificial flavourings and added sweeteners, but that kind of thing happens with bottled wine too. There are, however, wineries in Napa Valley, Oregon and in the south of England that are canning high quality wines, which are vintage-dated, variety-specific and vineyard-specific. Sans Wine Company in Napa Valley produce their canned wines from organically farmed vineyards and in blind tastings, they say that no one can tell which wines were poured from a bottle or from a can.

> Read more about canned wine

Save the planet with box wine

Box wine is making a hard comeback - and this time, it’s good. Master of Wine Justin Howard-Sneyd is part of The BIB Wine Company, who believe that fine wines can come in a box and can save us all money, while helping to save the planet. BIB work with boutique independent wineries around the world who employ sustainable, low-intervention winemaking methods, which are kind to the land.

Wine in boxes have a carbon footprint that is ten times lower than bottled wine. Boxes are more efficient to transport, so there are less carbon emissions and the BIB Wine boxes are sourced sustainably and are 100% recyclable. Not only does box wine save the planet, but it saves everyone money - there are lower packaging costs for the company and, because open boxes last well over a month and open bottles spoil in days, the idea is that we waste less wine.

So, how is the wine? It depends on the company you use, but The BIB Wine Company choose wines that express their environment and the talents of the winemakers - they want their wines to be the kind that people talk about over dinner. Currently there is a Furmint, a Grüner Veltliner and a Fitou in their range, but as they choose small-production wines, the range will constantly change. When In Rome Wine is also a bag-in-box wine company who work with local producers in Italy to bring craft artisan Italian wine to the UK at lower costs. Their award-winning Philip Schofield range in Waitrose has proved hugely popular with wine fans.

>Read more on box wine

Want to save the planet but not enough to give up bottles?

Some wine lovers are ready for cans and boxes, but others aren’t ready to say goodbye to the bottle completely. I can’t see Champagne going through a secondary fermentation in a can anytime soon and, besides, we’d be losing a huge part of our wine heritage if we gave up on bottles completely. (Though we did move from pottery to glass bottles in the 17th century and hardly looked back!).

I don’t think there is an argument to ultimately do away with bottles, but where we can do without them (for young, fruity wines; at events; in the home for everyday wining), the option is there to make a more eco-friendly choice.

Save the planet with lighter bottles and mindful packaging

If you’re in the ‘absolutely not’ camp at the suggestion of cans and boxes, there are ways to choose bottled wine and still choose to help save the planet. Sea Change Wines are a company who are using the vehicle of wine to deliver their message to save our seas. Their wines come from a select number of wineries in France and Italy, who share their values, and they are packaged as minimally as possible. The bottles are made from lightweight glass and you won’t find any unnecessary plastic wrapping around the neck of the bottle. The closures are made from renewable plant-based materials, plus the paper labels come from certified sustainable forests and are partially made from grape waste. Part of the sale of every bottle also goes towards ocean conservation projects around the world - in two years, they have raised over £50,000 to support projects that help turn the tide on plastic pollution.

As the focus is so heavily on the message, more so than the wine, there will be wine enthusiasts who will doubt the quality of the juice, but Sea Change say they are just as passionate about wine as they are about protecting our oceans from pollution. Their Provence rosé is from the award-winning boutique producer Château Pigoudet, and they have chosen to work with small wineries in regions that are renowned for their high value for money, like Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France and Puglia in the south of Italy.

>See more about Sea Change

What are traditional wine brands doing to save the planet?

As it stands right now, the wines in cans and boxes are leading with their initiatives and their philosophies - the wine almost comes second. That is not to say the wine is an after-thought, but at the moment, it is their packaging and their messaging that sets them apart from the norm. Putting ‘saving the planet’ at the front and centre of your brand is still novel; being eco is still, marginally, part of the counter-culture.

It will be interesting to see established, traditional wine brands, whose philosophies aren’t centred around saving the planet, adopting these eco-friendly approaches. Ruinart is one brand that has taken the plunge already. Their ‘second skin’ packaging is nine times lighter than their previous choice, contains no plastic and is 100% recyclable. Hats off to them - now it’s everyone else’s turn.

Heavy wine bottles are still a sign of quality in many parts of the world, but it’s completely cosmetic. I’m no longer impressed when somebody bobs a weighty bottle up and down - I know the tricks of the trade - and I don’t think, ‘Wow, the quality of wine inside a bottle like that must be fantastic!’ I actually think of the astronomic shipping costs and the size 12 carbon footprint. The wine will always speak for itself - but now, more than ever, we also want to know what the brand behind it says when it comes to saving our planet.