(classical string music)
- Hey there Brain Stuff,
I'm Cristen Conger,
and today, let's talk about wine.
Have you ever been
taking out your recycling
and look at all those
wine bottles in the bin
and ask yourself, wow, do
I have a drinking problem?
And then you get distracted
by another question.
Huh, why are all these bottles green?
Well, the simple answer
is that green glass
is the most common packaging
format for wine bottles.
Some of them are clear,
amber, or even blue,
but for the most part, they're green.
But why?
In 2008 the Waste and Resources
Action Programme Charity
published a report trying
to reduce the volume
of wasteful packaging
in the United Kingdom.
And they found some interesting data
on wine, glass, and ultraviolet light.
Exposure to shortwave ultraviolet light
can elicit color changes in wine
and have negative
effects on its stability.
Turns out, it causes a chemical reaction
that forms sulfurous compounds.
Light-struck is actually the term
for the unpleasant flavor and aromas
created by this reaction.
It can occur within minutes
and even a tiny amount of these compounds
can make your wine taste
like hobo box juice.
Stay close to me now, as it turns out
that certain kinds of glass
can block this UV light
so it doesn't turn wine
into fermented Yoohoo.
Winemakers have known this
for several centuries,
before we even discovered
electromagnetic radiation.
So, they've traditionally
stored the adult beverage
in opaque containers
until the bottles go up
on a retailer's shelves.
The color of the bottle allows
different wavelengths of light
to be transmitted or filtered.
So it follows, then, that
wine bottles must be green
because they're the
best at protecting wine
from the UV spectrum, right?
Actually, no.
They're traditionally
green because that color
has been the cheapest and easiest
to produce in large quantities
while still being aesthetically appealing.
Turns out that amber glass
is actually the best
protection against light,
blocking more than 90%
of harmful exposure.
Green glass, on the other hand,
only blocks 30 to 50%
of the harmful light,
while clear glass is the worst,
only affording 10% protection.
But hey, since there haven't been
a ton of customer complaints
about wine in transparent containers,
winemakers are probably gonna stick
with the ever-popular green.
Just a heads up, though,
that it's not just
sunlight that's a problem.
Fluorescent lights in a
store can ruin wine, too.
Some companies try to
mitigate this by using filters
or adding UV screening
coatings to the bottles.
But if you really want to taste your wine
the way it's meant to,
maybe drink from an amber bottle.
Maybe still in a paper bag.
That's classy.
Regardless of the taste,
what's your favorite wine packaging?
A bottle? A box? A solo cup?
Let us know in the comments,
you bunch of vinophiles.
And if you're not too tipsy,
click like and subscribe
while you're down there.
Also, for more information on booze,
come see us at HowStuffWorks.com.
