The SW Summary: On sustainable wine bottles, lessons from mountain goats, shorter growing seasons and more

What are the options for a sustainable wine bottle?

This is the question explored by Kathleen Willcox in the drinks business. Whilst canned, bag-in-box and kegged wines are likely the most effective alternatives to reduce the carbon footprint of wine, Willcox points out that we are dealing with the most “self-consciously traditional consumable product on the planet.” So, if we’re sticking with the bottle, what are the options for reducing its cost to the environment?

This can be done through changing the material, ensuring reuse, or lightweighting the bottle. Switching from glass to recycled PET plastic is one option that can radically reduce bottle weight and cut production emissions. However, there are rising concerns around chemical contamination, as research has found that drinks bottled in recycled PET have higher contamination than those bottled in new PET. Others prefer to stick to glass due to its infinite recyclability and are working hard to “revive the refillable glass bottle ecosystem for beverage producers and consumers.” 

Many producers are focused on lightweighting the bottle, as this is likely the simplest way to reduce emissions “without transforming the flow of production,” notes Willcox. She highlights the Sustainable Wine Roundtable’s Bottle Weight Accord, our global initiative supported by large-scale retailers aimed at reducing the average weight of still wine bottles from 550g to 420g by the end of 2026. Read the full article here.

What can a mountain goat teach us about wine?

In the drinks business Sarah Neish explores the curious question of what winemakers can learn from the Alpine ibex. A recent study by academics in Italy found that the Alpine mountain goat is becoming increasingly nocturnal. It is spending more time foraging during the night, behavior that is typically only seen during exceptionally hot weather. 

Winemakers are aware of the need to adapt to increasing temperatures, with many planting at higher altitudes to find relief from the effects of climate change. However, Neish points out that “ibex study suggests that even at extreme altitudes the temperatures are getting higher.” Rising temperatures in the Alps pose a risk to local grape varieties, including Austria’s Sauvignon Blanc. The popular grape is found primarily in Styria, where the highest mountain peak reaches 2,995 metres. The changing climate will require numerous adjustments from winemakers and “a new blueprint drawn up for managing viticulture in the region.” Read more here.

How winemakers are adapting to shorter growing seasons

In Wine-Searcher Vicki Denig considers the implications of a shorter growing season for winemakers as temperatures around the world rise. For example, over in Bordeaux winemaker Nicolas Glumineau shares how the average growing season, which used to be 100 to 110 days from flowering to harvest, has fallen to 90 days. This shorter growing cycle is also evident across other French regions and throughout Italy, with notable acceleration taking place in the second half of the season.

This trend poses significant challenges to winemakers. A shorter growing season can result in less complexity for late varieties, concentration problems for early-ripening varieties, and overall requires “greater responsiveness in the vineyard.” Although the negatives outweigh the positives, there are a few silver linings. These include lower disease pressures and reduced risks of under-mature vintages.

Producers are finding ways to adapt. Many are turning to canopy management to prolong the growing season, protecting the grape bunches from intense sunlight. Some are also delaying pruning, “so as to delay budburst as long as possible.” Many winemakers are also thinking longer-term, expanding to cooler areas and experimenting with more climate resilient grape varieties.

However, expansion is not an option for everyone. Jean Philippe of Bret Bret Brothers and Domaine La Soufrandière in Burgundy shares how they’re focusing on trying to increase the resistance of their existing vines, rather than shifting to another terroir. “The vine is a Mediterranean plant, thus it tolerates these hot conditions better than many other plants – you just need to help it before moving on to more radical methods,” he says. This sentiment it echoed by winemaker Jacques Grange at Delas Frères in the Rhône Valley: “We owe it to ourselves to work with these changes while respecting the fundamentals.” Read the article here.

A more positive outlook for 2024

Meininger’s reports on the Ciatti Global Market Report that looks back at 2023 and ahead to 2024. Some key themes that emerged from 2023 include rising interest rates and slow buyer demand. The effects of high interest rates, wine oversupply, and slow demands ultimately made their way to grape growers, leading to vine pull-outs. The report takes an optimistic outlook on the year ahead, predicting a rise in global demand and an increase in bulk wine and ‘just-in-time’ inventory approaches. Read more here.