Alcoholic Beverages — Wine

Material Composition Assumptions

A representative 750ml bottle of wine (approximately 1.1–1.3 kg total weight including bottle) consists of the following primary material inputs:

• Glass bottle: The dominant material by mass, typically 400–600 g for a standard wine bottle. Heavy Bordeaux-style bottles exceed 800 g; lightweight wine bottles can be as low as 300 g. Glass accounts for the largest single fraction of embodied carbon per bottle.
• Wine (grape-derived liquid): Approximately 750 ml (780–800 g). The wine itself carries the embodied carbon of grape cultivation, fermentation, and winery operations.
• Cork or closure: Natural cork stoppers (~8 g) have a relatively low carbon footprint and provide carbon sequestration co-benefits from cork oak forests. Synthetic closures (~4 g of LDPE/EVA) carry a petrochemical footprint. Aluminium screw caps (~5 g) have higher embodied carbon than natural cork but are increasingly common.
• Capsule (foil or PVC shrink): Approximately 3–5 g. Tin/aluminium capsules carry higher footprint than polylaminate alternatives.
• Label: Paper label with adhesive, approximately 3–6 g per bottle.
• Vineyard inputs: Calculated as an upstream allocation — fertilisers (nitrogen, phosphorus), pesticides (particularly fungicides in humid climates), trellis wire, irrigation water, and diesel for machinery and harvest.

The CCI score of 2.2 kgCO2e per 750ml bottle reflects a blended global average including a 500 g glass bottle, European origin viticulture, and a mix of local and short-distance international distribution.

Why the Score Is What It Is

Wine’s footprint of 2.2 kgCO2e per bottle is dominated by Scope 3 upstream emissions (~77%), with the glass bottle and viticulture together accounting for 60% of the total. This is a category where packaging is unusually significant relative to product complexity — the fermentation and winery processes themselves are modest contributors.

Glass packaging (~35% of total) is the single largest hotspot. A standard 500 g wine bottle carries an embodied carbon footprint of approximately 0.7–0.9 kgCO2e at typical cullet rates and EU grid intensity (see the beverages-glass-bottle category for full methodology). The wine industry’s preference for heavy, premium-signalling bottles significantly inflates the per-bottle footprint. Regions like Burgundy and Bordeaux have historically used the heaviest bottles; lighter-weight formats in the 300–400 g range are gaining traction as decarbonisation pressure increases.

Viticulture (~25% of total) encompasses a complex set of agricultural inputs. Synthetic nitrogen fertiliser applied to vineyards drives N2O soil emissions. Fungicide and herbicide applications (higher in humid climates like Bordeaux than in arid regions like the Barossa Valley or Mendoza) add to the Scope 3 burden. Diesel-powered tractors for soil cultivation, canopy management, and mechanical harvesting contribute Scope 1 emissions from the farm. Irrigated vineyards in Australia, California, and Chile add pumping energy.

International freight (~18%) is significant for New World wines exported to European and Asian markets. A Chilean or Australian wine shipped to European retail markets adds approximately 0.15–0.25 kgCO2e per bottle in sea freight plus inland transport. Old World wines distributed within Europe add substantially less in freight.

Winery processing (~14%) covers the electrical load of fermentation temperature control (crucial for white and sparkling wines), pumping, filtration, barrel storage lighting and humidity control, and bottling line operations. In warmer climates, refrigeration energy is substantial.

What Drives Variation

Bottle weight is the lever with the largest absolute impact on the per-bottle footprint. Industry data (OIV, WRAP) suggest that reducing a wine bottle from 600 g to 400 g saves approximately 0.25–0.35 kgCO2e per bottle — equivalent to eliminating 12–16% of the total footprint. Some producers have pushed toward 300 g lightweight bottles; alternative formats (bag-in-box, PET, canned wine, pouches) can reduce the packaging footprint by 60–80% per litre of wine.

Origin and distribution market interact to create large variation in the freight component. An Australian Shiraz sold in the UK carries 0.15–0.20 kgCO2e more per bottle in freight than a French Rhône wine. A Californian wine sold in New York carries significantly less than one sold in Tokyo. Bulk wine shipping (wine transported by flexitank and bottled in the destination market) dramatically reduces transport emissions — up to 40% savings on the freight component — because bottle glass is not shipped with the wine.

Viticulture system affects farm-level emissions. Organic viticulture eliminates synthetic pesticide inputs and reduces (but typically does not eliminate) nitrogen fertiliser use; however, more intensive tillage for weed control in organic systems can increase soil disturbance and diesel use. Biodynamic farming systems show similar patterns. Net lifecycle emission reductions from organic certification are generally in the 5–15% range for viticulture-origin emissions.

Sparkling wine (Champagne, Prosecco, Cava) carries a higher footprint than still wine because Champagne-style bottles must withstand 5–6 bar of pressure, requiring thicker glass (typically 800–900 g per bottle) and adding 0.3–0.5 kgCO2e relative to an equivalent-volume still wine bottle. Secondary fermentation in-bottle also adds yeast nutrients and extends ageing requirements.

Grid intensity at the winery affects Scope 2. Wineries in France and Germany with access to relatively clean grids face lower electricity costs than those in Australia or South Africa. On-site solar PV is increasingly common at large wineries and can reduce Scope 2 to near zero.

Manufacturing Geography

Wine production is concentrated in a Mediterranean-climate band spanning both hemispheres. The Old World (France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal) accounts for approximately 50% of global production; the New World (USA, Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand) accounts for the balance.

Old World wine typically has a lower transport footprint for European consumers but faces higher vineyard input costs (labour, disease pressure) that can drive slightly higher viticulture emissions per litre. New World wine benefits from drier climates (lower fungicide need, often lower irrigation cost per unit due to efficient drip systems) but incurs higher international freight emissions for export markets.

Blended grid intensities at winery level: EU average ~300 gCO2e/kWh, Australia ~580 gCO2e/kWh (though solar penetration is rapidly decarbonising Australian vineyard electricity), USA (California) ~280 gCO2e/kWh, Chile ~360 gCO2e/kWh.

Provenance Override Guidance

Wine producers and importers can override the default CCI score using:

1. Bottle weight data per SKU from the glass manufacturer or bottling records — the most impactful single data point.
2. Vineyard management records including fertiliser type and application rate, pesticide use, irrigation volume, and machinery fuel consumption per hectare per vintage.
3. Winery energy audit covering electricity consumption, on-site gas or diesel use, and any renewable energy certificates for the production vintage.
4. Freight mode and routing data from winery to point of sale, including bulk wine vs. bottled shipment distinction.
5. OIV-methodology carbon footprint declaration — a standardised framework for wine carbon accounting adopted by producers in France, Italy, and other OIV member countries.

Methodology Notes

• CCI score of 2.2 kgCO2e per 750ml bottle represents a blended mid-range for a standard bottled wine with a 500 g glass bottle, EU-origin viticulture, and mixed domestic/regional distribution. Published LCA ranges span 0.8 kgCO2e (lightweight bottle, local distribution, clean-grid winery) to 4.5+ kgCO2e (heavy bottle, long-distance airfreight, carbon-intensive processing).
• Scope breakdown: Scope 3 dominates at ~77% (1.7 kgCO2e), covering bottle glass, viticulture inputs, freight, and ancillary materials. Scope 2 (winery electricity) is ~14% (0.3 kgCO2e). Scope 1 (direct fuel at winery and farm) is ~9% (0.2 kgCO2e).
• Functional unit: One 750ml bottle of wine, cradle-to-gate at bottling facility (retail distribution, consumer use, and end-of-life excluded).
• Confidence is medium because bottle weight, viticulture emission factors, and freight distance vary significantly across the hundreds of wine-producing regions and thousands of producer profiles. Standardised OIV carbon accounting is gaining adoption but is not yet universal.