29 October 2007

BORDEAUX (AFP) - The first-ever attempt at a climate neutral vineyard in France is underway in Bordeaux's Medoc region, where winemaker Remi Lacombe plans to offset his own carbon emissions by investing in a carbon-reducing project elsewhere.

Lacombe, who has four chateaux in the region, is working in conjunction with German based climate protection group, ClimatePartner, to measure his own emissions and find a climate-friendly scheme somewhere in the world.

"To compensate for my carbon emissions, which, from the four vineyards add up to about 639 tonnes of CO2 per year -­ or about 1.7 kilos per bottle -- I will buy a project that prevents production of the same amount of CO2," Lacombe explained. He will choose his project in the next few days he says, hopefully finding something that fits with what he does.

A range of carbon offset projects are proposed by ClimatePartner, including for example, the replacement of a wood-burning stove in a developing country by a solar-powered device.

Lacombe says it is all about investing where you can maximise the benefits.

"The efforts we make here in France, for example, to reduce our driving speeds save us about one euro. To replace an inefficient truck part somewhere in Africa for example with that one euro has far more impact," Lacombe explained.

During the measuring of his CO2 levels, a process which took up most of last September, Lacombe says he learned to his surprise how much came from the wine making process itself, during yeast fermentation for example.

"Then there are the tractors, my car, the heating in the wine cellar and in the storage areas, plus electricity."

As a result Lacombe says he has already introduced several carbon reducing practices, such as exterior lights that switch off automatically and a new cooling system for the wine.

"During the wine making process I try and keep my wine between 20 and 28 degrees.

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