Funky flat bottle a great space saver
Since there will be a new normal in the wine business around the corner, why not a flat wine bottle?
Looking a bit like a Bordeaux bottle, it is two centimetres higher, but it is the depth that is the story: a mere four centimetres. Long and flat, it holds a full bottle of wine (750ml).
The good-looking bottle is 40 per cent spatially smaller, as compared to an average six-bottle case, offering many space-saving benefits — more than twice the usual amount fit on a pallet, decreasing carbon emissions and costs across the supply chain.
Flat bottles are stackable, saving space at retail or at home, and they do not roll around.
It is made of pre-existing plastic — 100 per cent post-consumer recycled PET — not single-use plastic, creating value for plastic already in circulation and helping mitigate against it ending up as litter in the environment.
Oh, and it is 87 per cent lighter. It is a new world.
Around the world, wineries continue to step up.
In Chile, Viña Concha y Toro has certified its research laboratory to diagnose COVID-19 as well as donating 50,000 litres of hand sanitizer made at the winery.
They also provided equipment to other institutions to increase their diagnostic capacity.
“We want to collaborate with our capabilities to overcome this health crisis, supporting prevention and early diagnosis,” said Eduardo Guilisasti, CEO of Viña Concha y Toro. “We have also made our cutting-edge technological equipment and a team of professionals at the Center for Research and Innovation available to fight the cause.”
B.C. WINE OF THE WEEK Robin Ridge Organic Pinot Noir 2018, Keremeos, Similkameen Valley
$21.90 | 87/100
UPC: 626990155034
Certified organic, it is grown on stony loams and trellised using Geneva Double Curtain trellising to expose the fruit to the maximum amount of sun in the Similkameen Valley.
The attack is fresh with very bright acidity and floral aromas mixed with cherries and earth. Tight and lean, it should appeal to a particular crowd, especially one looking for wines to serve with food. It is a terrific wine for roasted vegetables or a simple margherita pizza. More Euro than West Coast.
WINE FOR THE CELLAR Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2015, Sonoma County, California $57.97 | 92/100
UPC: 087512075283
Artisanal winemaking is easier to say than do. At Rodney Strong, Sonoma County’s first carbon-neutral winery, the art is in the details, and the Reserve Cabernet is made with select Cabernet Sauvignon lots from the Alexander Valley and mountain sites north of Lake Sonoma. It’s all individually harvested, fermented separately, and aged in French oak. At six months, each lot is graded and only the best is considered for Reserve. The Cabernet blend is assembled and returned to barrels for an additional 14 to 20 months. Winemaker Justin Seidenfeld uses cluster pre-sorting, berry sorting, extended maceration, and tanks small enough to accommodate the select lots. Lush but with structure and floral mineral notes, it delivers a rush of intense black fruit. A stunning Cabernet.