Researchers have known for at least a decade that the single largest portion of the carbon footprint of a bottle of wine comes from the energy used to manufacture that bottle, transport it to the winery to be filled and then distribute it around the globe for consumption. Some in the wine industry have begun to examine alternatives to the long-accepted, energy-guzzling methods for bottling and shipping wine.
"Over three billion bottles a year go to landfill," Mr Schneider said. "Only around 30 per cent of glass bottles are recycled in the US. It's a huge problem."