Attention to the weight of wine bottles and the impact that has on the enviroment is finally getting top billing as a topic people are thinking about. Back in October 2023, an agreement was signed among 50 players in the UK’s Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR), a mixed group of retailers and producers that agreed to lighten bottle weight from 550g per 750 ml bottle to less than 420g by 2026. Whole foods is among their founding members, together with other big names. They started with 50 members and today are at 100 members. The members signed a “bottle accord” back in October 2023.

I have been talking about bottle weight with producers for years. I remember one very important conversation with Luca Formentini of Selva Capuzza winery in the Lugana region who talked about how he had changed his bottle weight. The accord among big retail players will hopefully shed light on this important source of greenhouse gas emissions for consumers who may not be as aware of this topic as some others. Bottle weight and the perception that a heavy bottle means a better wine are engrained in many people’s minds so education will need to be done to change this innate and enduring perception. Here is a podcast I did with Luca last year about bottle weight, among other ideas.