Champagne-maker Piper-Heidsieck is to switch from green glass to brown glass to help better preserve the quality of its product, reports TheDrinksBusiness.com.
Brown glass filters 99% of ultraviolet light rays, while green glass only filters between 50% and 90%. The issue of ‘Lightstrike’, where damaging rays penetrate through the bottle, can affect the quality of the champagne.
Speaking at an event in London earlier this year, Ruinart cellar master Frédéric Panaiotis said, “From time to time I find them [bottles affected by lightstrike] and I taste a lot, but what bothers me is that people don’t see it, they just think the wine isn’t good.”
“If I could switch to black glass tomorrow I would,” he added.
The first Piper-Heidsieck product to be bottled in brown glass is its Brut Non-Vintage, the drinks-maker has said.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. Click subscribe to sign up for ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.