Climate Killer Wine Bottle From Which We Will Drink Our Wine In The Future

Although almost every wine bottle that is consumed ends up in the used glass container and the raw material returns to the producer, why shouldn't it be possible with wine and sparkling wine what has been a given with beer and mineral water for decades: a functioning reusable system via central acceptance points in retail that reduces the ecological footprint of the wine producers significantly when using disposable glass bottles?. Nearly half of a winery's emissions of greenhouse gases that cause climate change are a result of their use.

Other factors also come into play, such as the use of diesel tractors in the vineyard cultivation. The growing conversation about sustainable viticulture also highlights the limitations of organic viticulture: In order to eliminate downy mildew, the most dangerous foe of profitable viticulture, from the rows of vines, organic winegrowers must use copper preparations and thereby heavy metal compounds.

And in the majority of wine years, they have to visit the vineyards more frequently than their conventionally farmed counterparts in order to protect the crops with tractors and spray nozzles. This is not an inexpensive solution in terms of sustainability.

However, the politically supported organic viticulture has achieved a breakthrough. Lightweight bottles are a first step. Hessian vineyards now make up more than 20% of those with organic certification.

The proportion of organic products will gradually rise because more substantial Rheingau wineries are currently undergoing the three-year conversion phase. The European Union has only 5% of agricultural land that is planted with vines, so this is also necessary.

But of all fungicides used in agriculture, this five percent represents nearly seventy percent. The regulations governing plant protection are getting stricter and stricter.

The Hessian state wineries won't be able to avoid this for much longer because they fail to uphold their pretended pioneering role in viticulture in the Rheingau. Priska Hinz, the minister of agriculture and forestry who oversees viticulture, was successful in enforcing the management of the state forest in accordance with the stringent ecological FSC standards.

She has, however, refrained from supporting the conversion of the state winery. It is now being thought about, at the very least, to convert specific vineyards.

However, it is difficult to think that the state winery will want to long-term continue to be the largest stronghold of traditional viticulture. However, if organic winegrowers use their equipment more frequently and fill the wine in the same single-use bottles as all other producers, little progress is made in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Regardless of their economic strategy, the majority of winemakers are reluctant to adopt reusable bottles, though at least some extremely valuable bottles can also be rinsed. However, if they are forced to arrange for the return of their bottles themselves, the situation simply seems too severe.

As a result, the government would have to hold retailers accountable, especially since the majority of wine is already on sale in supermarkets and discount stores. The use of so-called lightweight bottles is becoming a more and more popular intermediate step among wine growers.

Glass bottles that weigh under 400 grams are being discussed. It is better for the climate balance if more bottles can be produced from one ton of unprocessed glass.

Moving beyond the single-use glass bottle would be a breakthrough, but are there enough alternatives that are convincing?. There are numerous alternatives in the beverage industry.

But who wants to drink their Riesling out of a can or even purchase it in Tetra Pak beverage cartons?. e.

In terms of sustainability, a plastic tube in a carton with a tap would be the best option. Similar to the screw cap used on mineral water and juice bottles 20 years ago, a bag-in-box is an obvious sign of cheap junk for wine. However, which winegrower and which consumer is willing to do that?.

best suited for alcohol used to induce "Château migraine.". It's still inconceivable to imagine a significant growth inside a plastic tube.

Furthermore, the bag-in-box seems to be a natural fit for young, crisp wines that are intended to be consumed quickly. Previous evaluations indicate that it is not suitable for long-term cellar storage.

However, German winegrowers will be unable to avoid thinking more deeply about the sustainability of their operations, regardless of the decision regarding whether the bottling should take place in glass, metal, or plastic. There is no denying that greenhouse gas emissions contribute to global warming.

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Viticulture will require more than just the purchase of certificates or the planting of trees. German winemakers fall short when compared to their counterparts in the rest of Europe. Winemakers must instead concentrate on lowering greenhouse gases throughout their value chain.

When compared to other European nations, it is startling how far behind Germany's winemakers are. In France, 48 percent of winegrowers have certified themselves as sustainable, compared to 29 percent in Italy and only 9 percent in Germany, according to a study by Hochschule Geisenheim University.

Initiating the certification process was done by 17% of Italians, 10% of French people, and 3% of German people. Nearly 60% are not even thinking about it at this time.

Only three of the 300 self-marketing wineries from the Rheingau are members of the "Fair and Green" association, which issues sustainability seals. Whether winegrowers are promoting the cultivation of fungus-resistant grape varieties for reasons of sustainability is an intriguing question that arises from this.

Scientifically validated studies demonstrate that these "Piwis" enable a reduction in pesticide use of between 50 and 75 percent while maintaining high yield and quality. However, just as with the bottling of wine in containers other than glass bottles, the wine drinker wants to be convinced of the taste and quality and does not see a break with wine culture.

No less attention to sales is required from the winegrowers. The sustainability balance is upset by a Frankfurt wine enthusiast who uses a combustion engine to travel to the Rheingau and purchase a case of wine from a winemaker he knows and trusts.

A bottle of Zinfandel traveled 18,000 kilometers from a California winery to a German wine retailer, and researchers from the University of Giessen and San Francisco State University examined the carbon dioxide balance of that journey. Amazing outcome: Driving a short distance by car to the local wine merchant or vintner produced as many greenhouse gases as the highly efficient mass transport of the bottle.

Although almost every wine bottle that is consumed ends up in the used glass container and the raw material returns to the producer, why shouldn't it be possible with wine and sparkling wine what has been a given with beer and mineral water for decades: a functioning reusable system via central acceptance points in retail that reduces the ecological footprint of the wine producers significantly when using disposable glass bottles.