Do we really need so many bottles?
This Month's Taste and Talk Session
Consumers in Australia are becoming more and more interested in environmental issues. This is especially true of the millennial generation, those born in the 1980s and 1990s.
This interest is reflected in the growing share of ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ wines. While the definition of these terms is confusing, ambiguous and sometimes just plain silly there is a marketing advantage for wines claiming these tags. Many growers and winemakers have adopted practices that seek to address these concerns, and to make sure the consumer knows about them.
One aspect that is not so high on the recognition scale is the environmental cost of wine bottles. Virtually all wine bottles are on a one way trajectory. Glass is manufactured using silica sand, soda ash and limestone which need to be mined and transported. The actual glassmaking is also energy intensive, as is the transport of the glass bottles to the winery, distributor and eventually to the consumer. It all adds up to substantial production of carbon dioxide and other negative environmental impacts. Glass bottles are sometimes recycled, but again this is an energy consuming process.
Most wine is consumed a within a short time of being purchased by the consumer, a few hours or perhaps in a couple of days.
Wine collectors and enthusiasts who age wine are a tiny minority and they will probably keep on using bottles. But what about the majority?
Wine is now being sold in aluminium cans.
There is also a revival of interest in the bag-in-a box method.
Join us at 5pm on Thursday November 28 for a discussion on wine packaging. Have you tried wine from a can lately? How about from a cask?
Hear what the experts say.
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Stock up for the holiday season
Maybe it is time to have another look at Aussie Pinot Noir. I get the impression, based on a small sample, that the overpriced shoddy wines from this variety are less common tan they used to be. If you are looking for some lighter bodied reds for summer this could suit - at a competitive price.
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Cheers
Darby