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A Lightweight 'Glass Heart' Bottle Could Revolutionize Wine Packaging

What if your wine bottle weighed 80% less—and still tasted like glass? One inventor's clever design could upend an industry stuck in the past. Returnable, reusable, and backed by wineries, it's a sip of the future.

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1 min read
The image shows a green glass bottle with a stopper, which is believed to be a wine decanter. It...
The image shows a green glass bottle with a stopper, which is believed to be a wine decanter. It has a cylindrical shape with a wide base and a narrow neck, and is decorated with intricate designs. The bottle is made of glass and has a glossy finish.

Plastic Bottle with Glass - An Alternative for Wine? - A Lightweight 'Glass Heart' Bottle Could Revolutionize Wine Packaging

A German startup is shaking up the wine industry with a new kind of water bottle. Janina Krick, 29, has developed a lightweight, reusable recycling guide alternative to traditional glass—combining recycled plastic with an ultra-thin glass lining. The innovation aims to cut carbon emissions while keeping wine fresh and flavourful.

Germany sells over two billion wine bottles each year, but only 5% use packaging other than glass. A standard 0.75-litre glass bottle weighs around 530 grams and makes up half of a wine's total wine-related CO₂ emissions. Reusable glass systems have struggled due to high costs, storage issues, and a lack of standardisation.

Krick's solution uses a water bottle made from 100% recycled plastic with a 'glass heart'—a thin inner layer that protects the wine's taste. The design allows bottles to be returned via reverse vending machines for a 25-cent deposit, slashing weight and transport emissions. Her company, weinton/WNTN GmbH, launched online sales in mid-December and plans to produce 150,000 bottles in its first year.

The startup has partnered with Rhenish Hessian wineries to fill the bottles with estate wines. A QR code on each bottle links to a digital sommelier with tasting notes. In July, they will also release a 187-millilitre 'tasting bottle' made entirely from recycled plastic. Production is set to quadruple annually from 2026, with Krick targeting a 10% market share in the long term.

The new bottles offer a lighter, reusable alternative to glass while maintaining wine quality. The system relies on existing deposit infrastructure, making returns simple for consumers. If successful, it could significantly reduce the industry's carbon footprint in the coming years.

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