Plastic Wine Bottles Eco-Friendly, but Drink It Fast

Republicans reverse Democrats' green initiatives in Congress cafeterias

(NEWSER) - The Republicans are back in control of the House, and they're bringing something with them: styrofoam cups. The cups, along with plastic forks and a number of other things seen as not eco-friendly, were done away with four years ago by Nancy Pelosi to reduce Congress's carbon footprint. Now, the Republicans are reversing those initiatives, with the chair of the House administration committee calling the $475,000-per-year program "neither cost-effective nor energy efficient." More»

Don't just cook with it; mix a drink with it

(NEWSER) - After decades relegated to a spot in the cooking aisle, sherry is making a comeback. The Spanish fortified wine is becoming a trendy cocktail ingredient, especially in Los Angeles, the Times reports. The drinks can get pretty swanky—one involves gold dust; another, reportedly loved by Frank Sinatra, flamed orange oil. “You see a lot of going back to classic cocktail ingredients,” says one restaurateur whose establishment aims to recapture “Old Hollywood swell-egance.” More»

(NEWSER) - 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. More»

Though it has earned its bad reputation in the past, today's boxed wines can be great

(NEWSER) - It’s time to stop sneering at boxed wine: “A box of rosé wine in the fridge is almost a rite of summer in France,” writes Tyler Colman for Forbes. True, boxed wine in the US often deserves its miserable reputation, but quality—and sales—are improving. Even “the chef who once gained headlines for selling a $100 truffle-encrusted hamburger is now selling box wine.” More»

It's just the way we use plastic that's the problem: Susan Freinkel

(NEWSER) - Plastic is the material environmentalists love to hate, but it's getting a bad rap, writes author Susan Freinkel in the New York Times . These days, plastic is equated with junk and litter because we waste it on things like shopping bags and drinking straws. "If we understood plastic’s true worth, we would stop wasting it on trivial throwaways and take better advantage of what this versatile material can do for us," writes Freinkel. More»