How Green is your Beaujolais Nouveau?
Don't be surprised next month when the Beaujolais Nouveaux arrives in plastic bottles!
Yes, Boisset - the French wine giant - said that all of its Beaujolais Nouveau would be shipped to the U.S. in plastic. Or perhaps plastique! The company's official line, of course, is that plastic is much lighter than glass and so will save not only on shipping costs, but lower its carbon footprint. It's not necessarily mentioning that plastic is also cheaper than glass saving on yet another cost.
Now with screwtops becoming de rigeur in many Australian, New Zealand and European wines, it seems plastic bottles can't be far behind.
But what will it do to the wine?
Personally, I don't think there's much of a risk with BN. I mean it's the first wine of the year that is produced. It's made very quickly - fermented for only a few weeks - with hardly any tannins (that's the stuff that makes your tongue really come alive). BN is always fruity. It is something that is meant to be consumed immediately with that Thanksgiving turkey. I figure if plastic doesn't harm orange juice, then it's probably not going to harm Beaujolais Nouveau. But just as one doesn't keep OJ for more than a couple of weeks in the fridge, one shouldn't keep BN around too long.
Chin chin
Comments