From April 6-12, the Grocery Outlet will be holding its biannual wine sale – all wine will be discounted a further 20%. In the last sale (Fall 2021) I bought some Gérard Bertrand wine (Les Aspres, 2016) and last spring I picked up two wines (Ruby Cabernet and Sangiovese) from Cardella winery, based in California’s San Joaquin Valley, near Mendota. While writing these posts, I also learned something about sustainability in the wine industry.
In the post on Gérard Bertrand I pondered whether it’s good to support a sustainable winery if it’s located on a different continent. It turns out that the carbon cost of transporting items by ship without refrigeration – like bananas, or wine – usually constitutes a small portion of a product’s overall carbon footprint. That led me to think about imported wines a little differently – yes, the carbon footprint of transport is an issue to consider, but it’s not the only one. Gérard Bertrand is one of the 24 wineries around the globe have been awarded the Green Emblem, awarded by Robert Parker to outstanding proponents of sustainability.
Then, in the post on Cardella Winery, I learned that vines for good estate vines often get less water (1 to 1.5 acre feet of water annually instead of 2.5 to 2.75). I also learned that irrigation is illegal in some of the world’s best wine regions, particularly in Europe. That includes the five B’s: Burgundy, Bordeaux, Barolo, Barbaresco, and Brunello.
So, putting these together, my top pick for the Spring 2022 Grocery Outlet sale is Trois Moulins, 2018 – a Bordeaux red blend from Chateau Lacaussade Saint-Martin. This wine picked up a silver medal at the 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards and is rated 4.1 on Vivino. Chateau Lacaussade Saint-Martin is a certified sustainable winery that’s in the process of converting to organic viticulture. They no longer use herbicide or synthetic fertilizers. It’s $10 at the moment, so it’ll be only $8 during the Grocery Outlet wine sale this week!
Let me know if you have any topics related to sustainability in the wine industry that you’d like to discuss.
Until next time – stay safe!
Grocery Outlet Ethical Bargains 