Glass Works

So where does the humble glass bottle fit into the bigger picture of wine? Some are decrying its impact on the environment, citing the carbon footprint of smelting glass and shipping heavy, space-inefficient bottles around the planet. But glass has one of the highest recycling rates of any packaging and has served wine well for centuries, an inert container that has no interaction with its contents and allows wine to age and develop over time (or retain its fizz). As energy inputs include ever-more renewable sources, and shipping in bulk and light-weighting mean ever fewer carbon emissions per bottle, is it time to re-evaluate glass's place in the debate? We talk to British Glass technical director Dr Nick Kirk and Simon Lawson, GM Europe of Casella Family Brands, makers of one of the world's biggest wine brands, [yellow tail]. A partnership pod with British Glass.