The future of wine? One word: Plastics

Plastics have always been the future, just never the future for wine. But restaurant owners and wineries are apparently reconsidering that position.

The Chicago Tribune recently reported on how restaurants are looking to save costs and avoid broken glass by purchasing wine in plastic bottles. Although wine in plastic containers has an expiration date, the lower price is making consumers wonder whether the taste is really different. But according to W.R. Tish, a wine

educator who writes a blog called Wine Skewer, “The wine doesn’t know what package it is in. It tastes the same

whether it is in a plastic bottle, a plastic bladder inside a box, or a

glass.”

In some respects this seems to be another aspect of the trend toward smaller wine bottles (187 ml instead of the traditional 750 ml) being produced in plastic several years ago. The idea was that a single serving of wine in a non-breakable bottle was better for portability and picnics.