Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/877508
28 WINES&VINES October 2017 I f it seems like the use of heavy bottles is increasing, that's because it's true. Rich DuBois, product manager for M.A. Silva and one of the industry's most knowl- edgeable packaging professionals, told me just that. During the recession in 2010-11, the use of eco-friendly lightweight bottles (those weighing 450 grams or less at 750 ml capacity) peaked. Since then, the use of heavier glass (600 grams or more) has increased. Wineries that have moved to heavier glass are staying with it, because it's working for them. To categorize glass by weight and cost, DuBois gives this guidance: Eco-bottles: less than 450 grams Standard 25 mm push up: 525-550 grams Upscale: 600-700 grams, with prices starting 30% higher than standard-weight bottles. Luxury: 800-1,200 grams, with prices starting 70% higher than standard-weight bottles. A number of respected wine writers have written about their distaste for heavy bottles, citing the difficulty in lifting a case, pouring for guests, not fitting into standard wine racks, as well as the lack of environmental concern associ- ated with heavy wine bottles. Heavy bottles do impress critic Robert Parker. Here is his review of a well-regarded Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvi- gnon that retails for $150. The wine "offers blueberry, blackberry and cassis fruit and subtle wood, licorice and lavender in the background. This full-bod- ied, rich, beautifully pure, textured and complex wine needs another 4-5 years of cellaring, but it should keep for 25-30 years." He added an additional comment: "Big changes seem to be underway, at least in packaging, at (this win- ery). Big, heavy bottles and a strikingly beauti- ful, engraved paper label...are impressive." The wine received 96 points and is sold out. The choice to use heavy bottles serves no quality or functionality purpose. It doesn't make the wine taste better or worse. Glass production consumes a lot of energy, very often using "brown" energy sources. The use of re- cycled material doesn't save much energy, as bottles are crushed and remelted rather than refilled. We know there is an increase in cost and greenhouse gases for shipping heavy bottles to the winery and shipping case goods out. Lighter bottles are easier to lift, move and pour. In addition, wholesale and direct-to-consumer shipping costs increase as well. A luxury bottle weighing 300 grams more than an upscale one will cost $11 per case more to ship from California to Chicago. Being green is at least a part of every winery's story, so why use heavy glass? To answer that question I turned to Tim Hanni, who has spent 35 years studying and lecturing around the world on the topics of flavor balancing, percep- tion and sensory sciences, wine and culinary history. Hanni is the author of Why You Like the Wines You Like and is recognized for introducing the concept of "umami" to the wine industry nearly 30 years ago. Bottle as metaphor Asked to offer up an explanation for why certain consumer groups buy wines in heavy bottles, Hanni connected work done in different disciplines. He referred to the work of Dr. George Lakoff, a neurolinguist, as well as Dr. Michael O'Mahony at the University of California, Davis, and Benoit Rousseau at the Davis-based Institute for Percep- tion, who are specialists in the field of the psycho-sensory phenomena. In his book, Metaphors We Live By, Dr. Lakoff proposes that metaphors provide connections between things that can override reality. "Metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not just in language, but in thought and action. Metaphor is not just a matter of language— that is, of mere words. On the contrary, human thought processes are largely meta- phorical." Lakoff argues that by the time we are 4 to 5 years old, we have several hundred metaphors wired into our brains. Up is good. "Things are looking up!" Down is bad. "You look down today." Sweet is good. My son was a "sweet little guy," though he was never actu- ally coated in sugar. Hanni uses this to ex- plain that in general, n ANDY STARR Winemaking What Bottle Weight and Label Copy Convey