Joelle Thomson is a writer and author of 15 books about wine. Read more modern matches and wine lovers’ bargain buys at all prices on her website. joellethomson.com
A glass of wine usually conjures up a lowering of energy levels, but it’s time to investigate how much energy goes into the production of a bottle of wine.
There are many fixed costs, such as the standard 750ml bottle, the label, the cost of grapes that went into the production of the wine, the choice of closure (screwcaps are cheaper – and more reliable – than corks) and, of course, a magnum (1,500mls) or a half bottle both cost more than the standard 750ml bottle of wine.
When the winemaking brothers Matt and James Dicey began their own Dicey Wines business three years ago, they decided to explore alternative packaging to the standard 750ml wine bottle.
Enter a new wave, high quality, vintage pinot noir in a 2-litre bag in the box. They were not trying to rock a retro vibe, but rather to save energy.
Matt Dicey says that 27 per cent of the carbon emitted from winemaking comes from the production of the glass bottle with another 13 per cent being attributed to the shipping costs.
Their first vintage of bag in the box Dicey pinot noir was 2021 and it costs $80 for two litres of wine, which is significantly cheaper than paying $40 for a 750ml bottle of pinot noir, which they also produce. In fact, most of their wines are in 750ml bottles, but the brothers are exploring the potential of high quality wines sold in a more environmentally friendly format. Yes, plastic is still involved, as it is in the production of bottled wine with its labels, boxes and shipping material, but overall, the production cost and impact on the environment is lower – as it is in Mount Edward Winery’s kegs of high quality pinot noir. The idea came about as a collaboration between two friends. Enter Depot restaurant in Auckland set up by chef Al Brown in 2011 and steel kegs of super tasty Mount Edward pinot noir from Central Otago winemaker Duncan Forsyth. Story has it that Forsyth sent up a 20-litre keg of pinot noir for the opening of Depot in 2011. It sold out on the first night.
That’s when Forsyth realised he needed to buy more kegs and think big.
These new takes on old ideas are proving to be particularly successful at reducing the energy that goes into the standard bottle of wine and its transportation. Not to mention its shelf life and overall cost. Another way to look at energy in wine is the more literal aspect of the energy that a glass of wine contains, but that’s another story.
Try This…
2021 Dice by Dicey Pinot Noir, $80
Plush pinot noir from Bannockburn in Central Otago with flavours of red cherries, plums and structured tannins from 16 per cent whole bunch fermentation. The wine was aged in French oak, 16 per cent new, then bottled unfined and filtered. A great debut that exceeds expectations and delivers more value than a 750ml bottle, remaining fresh for at least three weeks.
