Dan Berger: Big bottles, bad news

<p>Surgery wasn’t supposed to be an occupational hazard when I began to write about wine, but that’s the way it has worked out.</p><p>And I blame the idiots who are using ultra-heavy bottles to make their wines seem as if they are better.</p><p>Since when did the weight of a bottle make a wine worth more? I always thought it was what was inside that counted. </p><p>After the bottle is empty, how important is that ultra-heavy bottle?</p><p>I have written about this in the past, but despite some apologetic remarks from those who are guilty, I have seen few changes in this waste of money (heavier bottles cost more) and waste of fuel (they use more fuel to ship).</p><p>Then there are the human issues, such as back ailments from having to haul around boxes of wine that weigh nearly twice as much as they once did, carpal tunnel syndrome from having to pour them (ask any waiter), and other health issues.</p><p>Most wine bottles are about 11 to 12 inches tall. Now we’re seeing a lot of cabernets in bottles that are 13 to 14 inches tall. With the added height comes added weight.</p><p>The standard wine bottle filled with wine once weighed in at 2.7 pounds. I now routinely see bottles weighing 4 pounds, and one I saw was almost 5 pounds. (The supermarket butcher was a bit surprised when I asked to use his scale.)</p><p>All this represents a big added load for consumers who buy cases of wine. Not to mention clerks in wine shops and sommeliers in restaurants.</p><p>When I got into this game in the 1970s, I decided to weigh a box of a Sonoma cabernet. It was 34 pounds. These days, with bottles that weigh close to five pounds each, a case now is nearly 60 pounds!</p><p>And that’s if the wine is in a cardboard box. Don’t even inquire about wines in wooden cases.</p><p>Then there’s the issue of bottle thickness. Many wine producers are using bottles with fatter diameters. These do not fit into standard wine racks; some do not even fit into my refrigerator.</p><p>Who came up with this nonsense?</p><p>Marketing geniuses, that’s who, and I think it’s time for the consumer to fight back.</p><p>Are you concerned about your environment and the wasted fuel to get these monstrosities to market?</p><p>Are you fearful of injury just because you want to do your job properly?</p><p>Then I believe a boycott is in order. Vow to buy no wine in ultra-heavy glass bottles. Buy no wine bottle that is so thick it won’t go in a standard wine rack.</p><p>Maybe really slow sales will get the attention of the marketing geniuses.</p><p><CF103>Wine of the week:</CF> 2009 Man Vintners Chenin Blanc (Steen), Coastal South Africa ($11) — Leafy, tropical fruit aroma with light sweetness in the entry, but nice balancing acidity. Served chilled, this is a nice quaffing wine for the last hot days of fall, and works also with Thai food. And the bottle weighs only 2 pounds, 10.6 ounces.</p><p>Dan Berger lives in Sonoma County, where he publishes “Vintage Experiences,” a weekly wine newsletter. Write to him at danberger@rocketmail.com.</p>