Environmental Leader

French vineyard owners are starting to export their wine by sailing boat to reduce their carbon footprint the Guardian reports.

Later this month 60,000 bottles from Languedoc will be shipped to Ireland in a 19th-century barque, saving 18,375lb of carbon. Further voyages to Bristol, Manchester and even Canada are planned.

The marketing angle is that each bottle will be labelled: ‘Carried by sailing ship, a better deal for the planet.’ The shipping company, Compagnie de Transport Maritime à la Voile, says the whole process will end up taking up to a week longer than a flight. It is estimated it will save 4.9oz of carbon per bottle. The wine should also remain relatively cheap, at between €7 and €20 a bottle.

Last October Tesco started shipping wine by barge from Liverpool to Manchester along the Manchester Ship Canal.

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