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Wine, Meet Your Future: Plastics
By Harry Kimball
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Posted Aug 8, 09 12:00 PM CDT
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(Newser)
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Screw tops, boxes, and now—plastic bottles? A move is afoot to package wine in low-cost, lighter plastic containers, the Los Angeles Times reports. The bottles come with an expiration date because the plastic does not provide the same airtight seal as glass. But because most wine sold in the US is consumed relatively quickly, it shouldn't affect taste. “The wine doesn't know what package it is in,” a wine educator says.
A plastic wine bottle concern points out that the containers weigh almost 90% less than glass bottles and take up 20% less space, allowing distributors to ship more at a time. “The economics are amazing,” a winemaker says, “and it is environmentally friendly.” Though shoppers are seeing more of the new bottles, they’re a real hit at restaurants that sell by the glass. “You would never know it isn't glass, especially from across a darkened dining room,” a businessman says.