Researchers at Italy's University of Siena ran an experiment with Sangiovese grapes grown at two farms in Tuscany. One was an organic farm that employed manual labor, natural fertilizers and bio-pesticides. The other farm used fossil fuel powered machines and conventional inputs of synthetic chemicals. The researchers assessed the finished product (including impacts of growing, packaging and distribution) to determine the "eco-footprint" of each wine. "A bottle from the organic farm had an eco-footprint of 7.17 square meters." New Scientist reports, while the footprint of the non-organic vino was 13.98 square meters - nearly double. The findings suggest that, if winemakers wish to "reduce their overall ecological impact," they should "shift to organic systems."

Source: PAN (Pesticide Action Network)