Aluminum is finding its way in products that have traditionally been packaged in glass. Case in point: aluminum wine bottles. For purists, it’s almost heretical to put wines in anything else but glass. But clearly some winemakers have found some real advantages in packaging their wine in aluminum bottles.
Voute, the French winery, is one of the most prominent recent examples. As Voute says, “We chose aluminum not only because it brings qualities identical to glass in terms of compatibility with wine, but it also protects the wine from light, which accelerates the (bad) aging process. Our bottles are unbreakable, single-serve and lightweight” They also use to the “green” argument to justify their decision: “Aluminum is 100-percent recyclable . . . and results in significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, thanks to it lower weight.”
Another interesting advantage over glass is the fact that it cools 5x faster than glass. This is an advantage pointed to recently by some American brewers. Personally, I like to see my chardonnay through glass. I think I would miss out on the typical wine tasting ritual by not being able to see the wine color before I sniff and taste. But then again, it seems really convenient to pack a couple of aluminum wine bottles in a cooler and not have to worry about breakage :)
