Aug 15 2008
Wine shipped by sail reduces carbon
Schooner "greens" wine transport
Wine sellers look to wind
A gimmick or legitimate effort to reduce greenhouse gases? An article in the Irish Barkeeper website reports that several wine sellers have commissioned a 100 year-old schooner to deliver fine wines to Ireland from France to reduce the carbon footprint of the shipments.
“The wine was transported to Ireland aboard the 108 year-old Kathleen & May schooner to reduce the carbon footprint of the wine – each bottle will save 4.9oz of CO2 emissions… “
“Tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions is one of the biggest challenges we face today, according to Frederic Albert, President of Fair Wind Wine. “By offering great wines at competitive prices, people will be free to act in a greener way,” he said, “Our company has found a modern innovative solution to reduce CO2 emissions, by looking to the past – traditional shipping routes – and by chartering traditional ships. With oil prices at an all-time high, our company will be able to ship goods at low rate by using sailing ships. The fine premium wines will be travelling by sea like in the old days. We have chosen the best premium wines in the region, but they have also been made in a sustainable agriculture way”.
The article claims the idea came from Languedoc-Roussillon wine producer Michel Escande.
“More than 12,000 bottles made the journey aboard the schooner,” according to BarKeeper, but notes it was not the first such shipment.
“Compagnie de Transport Maritime á la Voile CTMV also introduced Fair Wind Wine to Canada during Quebec’s 400th anniversary celebrations recently. Again, by researching traditional wine routes, the company transported wine on the three-masted Belem, a 14th Century merchant vessel, the oldest of its kind in Europe. This month CTMV plans to open a route to Bristol in the UK as well as to Copenhagen in Denmark and to Sweden.”
See full article here:
Very interesting article.
I am so thrilled to see the Kathleen & May working again.
My grandfather used to pilot her up the Pemboke river to the corn store at Pembroke Quay in the 50’s when she carried animal feed.
I have very fond memories of this ship and the excitement when she appeared at Pennar Point off Milford haven and my grandfather would row out to her from Ferry House.
I last saw her in Milford Haven Two years ago.