More wine please..

[Pulsarblu]

Crushed glass helps grapes ripen on the vine
24 December 2005

Finally, a good excuse for wine drinkers to increase their intake.


Crushed glass from recycled wine bottles is being used to ripen grapes.

Christchurch company TerraNova (formerly the Recovered Materials Foundation), which finds alternative uses for recyclable materials, has begun an innovative two-year trial at the Sandihurst Winery in West Melton.

TerraNova chief executive Richard Lloyd had bought a section on the winery where pinot noir grapes were growing and after a conversation with vineyard owners Celia and Hennie Bosman, realised they shared views on sustainable business.

"One thing led to another. I had a lot of bottles to try find a use for and they shared a similar environmental philosophy," Mr Llyod said.

"After a series of happy coincidences, I decided to practise what I preach."

Mr Lloyd said glass had been an ongoing problem as the country's only major glass recycling plant was based in Auckland, making its transportation a costly and environmentally harmful process.

Tonnes of crushed white and green glass, just bigger than sugar crystals, was spread on the ground today, beside rows of vines.

It is hoped the glass will reflect light and heat to enhance growth and encourage the ripening process.

Mrs Bosman said she hoped there might be other positive spin-offs to the sparkling trial.

"It might work as a weed suppressant so we would use less chemicals. Then there's the heat and light from the glass and the temperature of the soil could improve. Frost is an issue with Canterbury grapes.

"We always have excess bottles and there's so much wastage because they can't be kept. Re-sterilisation is quite costly."

Mr Lloyd said the time really was ripe for such a trial ? glass collected from kerbside recycling in December and January increases by up to 40 per cent from other months.

[MotherBear]

Novel idea, but I'd have thought they could have come up with some more useful ideas on what to do with their redundant glass, like mixing the crushed glass with something like resin to form a different type of material, which would have several possible applications (if it's not being done already).

[selchie]

I've also heard of crushed glass being used in asphalt paving/macadam/tarmac. That would save on quarrying and crushing rock (not good for the rock industry, though).