How one 1855-classified Grand Cru is shedding 325g of its bottle weight

he first M̩doc Grand Cru Class̩ to secure dual certification Рorganic and biodynamic РCh̢teau Pontet-Canet in Pauillac is once again demonstrating its pledge to the environment by reducing its CO2 emissions by 38% per bottle. It is achieving this by shedding 325 grams from its individual bottle weight, which drops from 815 to 490 g after a four-year collaboration project with glass manufacturer Verallia.

The bottles were presented during En Primeur tasting week for the 2023 vintage and will be used starting with the 2022 vintage. It remains to be seen how consumers will react to the lightweight bottles, many of them still associating bottle weight with wine quality.

The collaboration will certainly not be the last one for Verallia – the glass manufacturer has committed to reducing its emissions by 46% by 2030 compared with 2019 and has promised that 25% of its standard, non-reusable range will be transitioned to lighter glass by the end of 2025.