Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions Related to Wine Production: The Case Study of a Winery in Douro Wine Region-Portugal

Abstract

Water use and its associated energy consumption in wine processes are often unnoticed in best practice. Many proprietors are insensitive to how water is used within their winery procedures. Key areas of environmental concern currently faced by the wine industry include water and energy use and the production of greenhouse effect gas emissions, among others. This review revealed that the practice within wine organizations tends to be largely unexplored and inadequate. To address the present needs for accurate water and energy resources control, it is vital to develop research on how water and energy are related and used in wine production to increase the effective use of these resources, minimizing the related environmental impact. The main aim of this paper was to find the relationship between energy and water utilization and subsequent CO2 emissions from a winery located in the Douro Valley, contributing to its sustainability in terms of resources consumption. A two-year monitoring plan on water use was implemented, and the related energy consumption and CO2 emissions were calculated. The results showed high values of energy (148.5 kWh/day) as well as related CO2 emissions (54 kg CO2/day) associated with high water consumption (that ranged from 16.20 to 27.66 m3 water/day). This information is very important and contributes to enlarging the database of environmental parameters related to wine production in the Douro wine region, creating opportunities for environmental improvement.