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Welcome to Westside U Brew |
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Winexpert's LE2012 Collection |
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Saturday, 13 October 2012 |
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Eco-Friendly Wine. Think Green! Drink Green! |
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Wednesday, 03 October 2012 |
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Green is the buzzword for our time. We’ve become more aware of the effect our consumption has on the environment. Winemakers and consumers have choices that make a difference. From the vineyard to the wine glass—there is a greener way.
“Green” wine production is produced using environmentally friendly techniques and practices. There are three main thrusts in eco-friendly grape farming—organic, sustainable, and biodynamic.
Organic Farming consists of growers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.
Sustainable Farming refers to the ability of a farm to produce a given commodity indefinitely, without causing severe or irreversible damage to the health of the ecosystem.
The Biodynamic Farming system treats farms as unified and individual organisms, emphasizing a balanced, holistic development and the interrelationship of the soil, plants and animals as a closed, self-nourishing system.
Each of these practices has the same goal—to produce eco- friendly grapes which in turn help to make more environmentally friendly wine. The winemaking process itself produces only small amounts of greenhouse gas although grapevines absorb carbon dioxide which practically neutralizes emissions from the fermentation of grapes.
The biggest contributor to wine’s carbon footprint are trains, planes and shipping containers. Transportation involved in the production of wine is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions. Imagine the carbon footprint of a bottle of Australian wine on your local wine store shelf.
When it comes to eco-friendly wine nothing compares to that which you make yourself. Crafting wine at your local U-Brew is hands-down the most environmentally friendly way to consume wine. Here are few examples why you make the “greenest” wine. |
1 Juice used in the production of wine kits is shipped to the manufacturer in large bulk containers instead of individual heavy glass bottles thus greatly reducing carbon emissions.
2 The juice is then processed and shipped to the consumer in lightweight plastic bags and cardboard boxes.
3 The majority of wine kits are shipped concentrated and the winemaker has to add water to make up the correct volume. Water is heavy. Therefore reducing the amount of water contained in a wine kit reduces carbon emissions significantly.
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4 Craft winemakers reuse their bottles. I have some bottles that I’ve had in circulation for 20 years or more!
5 The energy required to transport wine from the liquor store to your home is often overlooked. It’s possible that you would need to make up to 30 trips to the wine store to consume the same amount of wine that you would make from one wine kit.
If you make your own wine you can enjoy it with a clear conscious and know you’re doing your part for the environment. You can drink your own eco-friendly wine at all times by connecting with Deb and Gord Craig at Westside u Brew.
Revised from original article by Bill Reddy. Canadian WineCrafter Magazine Summer-Fall 2012 issue (PDF)
Bill Reddy has been involved in the craft winemaking industry since 1992 and has joined Canadian WineCrafter as a regular contributor. He operates a retail store – Brewery Lane – in Newfoundland and Labrador. He’s also the founder of clickabrew. com – Canada’s first online craft winemaking store. Reprinted with permission from www.craftwinemaking.com.
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