A new type of thinner glass bottle is being introduced by Spinelli, in their Terra d'Aligi Tatone red. Read all about it here. Looks like it could be a better alternative to too-heavy glass or wasteful Tetra Paks.
I can't quite understand the LCBO's rationale behind encouraging more producers and customers to switch to buying their wines in Tetra Paks. Back in the day it was pretty nifty to bring drink boxes in one's school lunch. But then the green movement of the 80s showed us these little packages were dreadful for the environment (that same green movement that told our parents the bad news in the 60s and 70s, and which is still screaming warnings about our doomed future into the deaf ears of the present). Suddenly, it wasn't so cool to drink from them anymore.
Granted, practices have changed, and Tetra Paks can apparently be broken down into recyclable parts, but at what cost? Depletion of resources, wasted energy, lost jobs and a negative impact on local Ontario wineries, just to name a few. And most of them just wind up in the landfill anyway, given that few people know that municipalities will accept them as "recyclables".
Is it so difficult to put your empties in the blue box at home? It's got to be easier than loading them all up in your car, driving to the local Beer Store and standing in line to have them counted up, all for a measly 10 cents or so a bottle. (Oh good - there's a few coins you can put towards your next overpriced gas up at the Esso.) Something tells me that will be even less appealing to consumers than taking the time to sort your waste at home. (Or maybe I'm being delusional?)
I'm content to stick with glass, especially after tasting some of that Tetra Pak stuff. That's reason enough to leave it on the shelf ... if you haven't got enough reasons already.
I heard an LCBO rep pitching the environmental pluses of Tetra packs a while back, and had the exact same reaction you did.
ReplyDeleteThere must be some ulterior motive, likely economic, for the LCBO.
It sounds like it's just for eco-publicity. To introduce another way of wine being delivered that's not standard is a waste of time and resources better spent elsewhere. I'm guessing the LCBO has not considered the inert properties of glass bottles. Wouldn't the wine start to leech in tetra-paks? There's also the consideration of storage - some people like to store certain wines until they're older for a different taste.
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