Plastic fantastic... Is this the end of the glass wine bottle?

Fancy a drop? It won't break

First came the rise of the screw top, then the synthetic cork.

Now, in a move that will have wine snobs reeling even further, traditional glass bottles are being replaced with plastic.

Next month, Sainsbury's is introducing lightweight and recyclable plastic bottles for some of its best selling wines.

The supermarket insists that the new containers - made of recyclable PET - look exactly the same as conventional bottles, but are just an eighth of the weight.

Not only are they easier to carry, less energy is used to make and transport them. The supermarket also says they are safer - and will bounce when dropped onto a hard floor rather than smash.

The move follows the introduction of PET bottles by Wolf Blass, one of Australia's biggest exporters of wine.

Its plastic bottles of wine went on sale in Canada last year and will be available in Britain in a few weeks.

"The new wine bottle looks exactly the same as a glass bottle, holds the same amount of liquid and doesn't compromise the quality of the wine in any way," said a spokesman for Sainsbury's.

"Not only does this mean that shopping will not be weighed down with heavy wine bottles, but the PET bottle is perfect for summer festivals, picnics and barbecues."

Although there is nothing new about cheap plonk being served in plastic containers, Sainsbury's says this is the first time they have sold plastic bottles in conventionally shaped bottles.

A traditional glass bottle weighs around 400g or 14 oz, compared to a PET bottle which weighs just 54g or 2oz. Initially, Sainsbury's is selling two own-brand wines in the plastic bottles - a £4.99 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and a £3.99 Australian rose.

Wolf Blass Green Label Chardonnay and Cabernet Shiraz, both £7.49, are also being sold in plastic bottles from mid August.

If the move is a success, the plastic will be rolled out to other wines.

Britain guzzles around one billion bottles of wine each year - and using 500,000 tons of glass.

According to the Government's packaging agency, the Waste and Resources Action Programme, reducing the weight of all glass wine bottles to the lightest available would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 90,000 tons.

Last month the French produced Boisset launched a pinot noir and Chardonnay sold in PET bottles. Hardy's and Palandri in Australia have also introduced PET wine bottles.

Plastic is unlikely ever to be used in more expensive wines - especially those that are laid down. However, wine experts say it will increasingly be used in cheap and mid range wines.

Oliver Styles, of Decanter magazine, said: "It's very early days for plastic bottles. There has been concern about chemicals transferring from the bottle to the wine, but you are talking about very small amounts and it's not going to be too much of an issue.

"It's a matter of taste more than anything. There are people who say beer tastes better from a traditional glass pint, rather than a plastic one. In people's minds plastic bottles will be associated with cheap wine, although they could change over time."

Manufacturers believe they will be able to overcome opposition to plastic bottles - just as they have successfully persuaded drinkers that screw tops and plastic corks are as good - if not better - than traditional cork.

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