Wine has traditionally been stored and served in wine bottles for hundreds of years. Alternatives to wine bottles have become available, revolutionizing the way people buy, store and serve wine. Even famous vineyards whose bottles and labels are their trademark have started to use alternative containment methods.
Box Wine
Though frowned upon by certain wine enthusiasts, box wine is a popular alternative to bottled wine. The trend started with lower quality cheap wine, but more popular and more expensive labels are beginning to use the box delivery system. The wine is placed into a plastic bladder which is placed inside a box. The consumer can pull a tap out of the bottom of the cardboard box and simply push a button to pour wine into a glass. The entire packaging can be recycled because it uses only cardboard and plastic.
PET Bottles
Manufacturers of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles developed a new series of lightweight plastic bottles for the wine industry. PET bottles are tougher than the older heavier and do not delaminate during distribution or filling. PET bottles are good for wine because the chemical composition of the plastic protects the wine from oxidation during a long storage process. Air is still able to pass through the plastic and vineyards have reported that glass is still the preferred containment system for wines that are more sensitive. PET bottles are recyclable, unbreakable and offer flexibility in design.
Tetra Pak
Many companies in the wine industry, in an effort to cut costs, have switched to Tetra Paks. A Tetra Pak is a recyclable container made of mostly of paper and is lighter than glass bottles. The weight of a Tetra Pak is 40 grams compared to a glass bottle that weights 500 grams or more when both are empty. Less weight means that there are 80 greenhouse gasses going into the atmosphere and the transportation cost factors in 40 to 50 percent less trucks. Another benefit of the Tetra Pak is that after someone pours a glass of wine out of container, air can be squeezed out to keep the wine from souring.
Lightweight Glass Bottles
In this process, manufacturers create glass bottles that have thinner walls. The indentation in the bottom of the container that separates sediments is also removed. Manufacturers claim a 10 percent reduction in cost and more recycled glass is used in the process. A large percentage of traditional wine bottles use virgin glass in the process, so if they chose lightweight it would help the environment. A 14 percent reduction in greenhouse gases occur when light weight bottles are used instead of the original wine bottle.
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