The energy and carbon intensity of wine distribution: A study of logistical options for delivering wine to consumers

Logistics within the food and beverage sector are often energy-intensive, especially for the wine industry. We consider how California wines may be routed to U.S. consumers near and far, basing scenarios and supporting data on interviews and literature review. We use a web-based tool, CargoScope, to calculate the energy and carbon emissions associated with each transportation link and storage echelon. We find that supply chain configurations can result in vastly different energy and emissions' profiles, varying by up to a factor of 80, and discuss how these results could be incorporated into a winery's overall sustainability strategy. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.