This episode features Adam Rack, the Co-founder of Revino, the company that is taking the lead in wine glass bottle re-use in the US. Based in Oregon, Revino has recently received funding to open a bottle re-use facility in California, and is helping to build re-use infrastructure and in both states… and thinking globally about the glass bottle ecosystem for wine producers and consumers. Revino has signature, elegant, embossed bottles already in use by quite a few Oregon wine producers, and I’ve had some delicious wine poured from several of their bottles. Bringing awareness and support to wine bottle re-use has been important for me for years, and this isn’t the first episode I’ve done on the topic. That’s because the use of new glass bottles is the single largest source of carbon emissions for the wine industry. Yet we know glass is a vital part of wine. If we want to avoid plastic and the limitations of cans, glass is pretty much inescapable. It has amazing qualities of non-reactivity and durability and beauty. That’s why re-use has to be the way forward for a sustainable wine culture built on ecological principles. We take some time to get to specifics about what Revino does, and I began to realize this is because, as Adam helps us see clearly, to get to the actual part where we, you know, re-use glass bottles, many systems must first be established. Bottle drop-off and collection sites, washing facilities, transportation systems, laws must at times be changed or established, and then there are the bottles themselves: standardization must be adopted, label adhesives must be made washable. And everyone needs to be educated about these processes as well as the enormous benefits that make these changes not only worthwhile, but urgent. First, and maybe most importantly, we need to begin a mindset shift away from seeing wine bottles as single-use disposables, to cherishing them for their unique qualities… not the least of which is their incredible ability to be re-used many many times. We will need to shift away from valuing pretty, shiny, new bottles to taking pride in a scuffed and worn bottle with what Adam calls an “environmental halo” of wear from being part of a re-use ecosystem. These are changes we can start at our wineries today, and Adam gives practical steps to begin to prepare for bottle re-use at your winery, even if the infrastructure wont be available for a few years where you are. And compromises are necessary. We can’t have everything we want if we want important change to happen. But we can change what we want. These changes take time, and they remind us that we are building the infrastructure for the wine culture that future generations will see as normal. We are transforming outdated values to the values that will be the cultural foundation for new wine lovers in years to come. This conversation gave me not only practical ideas and resources, but hope that my individual actions are important to a better future. Resource Links: Porto Protocol Bottle Reuse Guide Glass Recycling Foundation (US recycling map) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com/subscribe
