Are Wine Snobs Right About Plastic?

admin — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:31:18 +0000

As more and more wineries go green, they are increasingly turning to plastic (PET) to bottle their wine. Boisset, the second-largest producer of Beaujolais Nouveau is a recent convert. But many premium winemakers refuse to jump on the Carbon Neutrality bandwagon even though they are often the worst offenders when it comes to using big, heavy glass bottles that require lots of energy to make and transport.

Premium winemakers argue that plastic is inappropriate for their product because it is seen as cheap, not to mention that it can’t be used for long-term wine storage. A recent study supports their argument. A study commissioned by Australian plastic wine-bottle maker, Portavin revealed the green alternative to glass was only good for wines that are drunk within a maximum of 12 months after bottling, with some wines starting to oxidize as early as 8 months.

“Simply put air travels through plastic but not through glass,” according to Portavin’s Managing Director Ian Matthews. “PET is fine for wine you plan to use under 12 months, but not for wines that are designed to improve in the bottle. It’s highly unlikey plastic will ever take over from glass because the PET format doesn’t suit every style of wine.”

This is a post from: The Wine Cellar Blog

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The Over-Heated Wine Market

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:37:42 +0000

European wine prices have jumped approximately 25 percent in 2008. The prices for Champagne and Burgundy have never been higher. Given the astonishing prices of premium wine these days, you would think it would be babied like the first-born you traded to buy it. However, fine wine is often shipped in worse conditions than ice cream or lettuce, sometimes sitting in the blazing sun for hours. The damage done to a wine’s taste, smell and color by extreme heat is something that can go unnoticed until opened, despite having paid perhaps $800 to 1600 for it. Eric Vogt, Harvard professor, wine lover and high-tech start-up entrepreneur hopes to remedy the situation. Vogt’s eProvenance system includes a tamper-proof seal, a hidden code and an electronic tag for each wine bottle, but it’s the temperature tracking element that’s getting the most interest.

Click here for more information about the damage caused by heat and wine oxidation (maderization).

This is a post from: The Wine Cellar Blog

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The Wine Cellar Blog» wine oxidation

Are Wine Snobs Right About Plastic?

The Over-Heated Wine Market