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Plumpton takes final steps to switch rosé into green glass

The college said it had been bottling the Plumpton Estate Brut Rosé NV in green glass since 2016 and was “delighted” to have the first batch ready to release early next year. 

“Unlike the former packaging, ‘flint’ or clear glass, the green glass will provide greater protection from UV light, protecting against the easily-avoidable wine issue of damage due to light strike,” said Plumpton winemaker Sarah Midgely.

In a clear bottle the wine could become damaged by bright light in under 20 minutes, with this damage potentially leading to off odours and flavours, she added.   

“After carefully crafting and blending the wine, then maturing it for 18 months on lees in the bottle, it is a weight off our minds to know the wine is better protected against damage by simply changing the colour of the bottle.” 

The topic of light strike has been on the syllabus at Plumpton College for many years, with wine graduates given a clear understanding of the risks wine face from light. 

However, many in the broader wine trade and general public remained “oblivious to damage caused to wine by light”, added Dr Greg Dunn, head of Plumpton Wine Division.

Plumpton College in conjunction with the Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championship and UK winery Nyetimber launched Lightstrike Awareness two years ago to educate the trade and public about this problem.