Magnum Force

The American Association of Wine Economists estimates global greenhouse gas emissions from wine production and distribution to be 5,336,600 tons—roughly the same amount that one million passenger vehicles would emit in a year.
What Can You Do?

The good news is that because shipping wine typically involves moving lots of heavy glass filled with some less-heavy wine, the bigger the bottle, the smaller the carbon impact per ounce. On dinner outings with large groups of people, order a 1.5 liter (L) magnum that holds eight glasses rather than two .75 L bottles. Heller Estate's 2002 Organic Cachagua Cabernet Sauvignon ($45/1.5 L) is lovely and affordable for large dinner parties. For a splurge, try their 1997 Organic Signature Release Cabernet Sauvignon ($200/1.5 L) with flavors of ripe berry fruits, jammy cassis and dark chocolate. And if you're really thirsty, you can pick up a 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon in a three-liter bottle for $260 (www.hellerestate.com). The more, the merrier...