Over the years, I have visited Ron Rubin Winery and tasted some of his beautiful Russian River Valley wines several times, and have always enjoyed the very high quality of the wines. Now Ron and his team have been the first winery in America to bottle a wine in a 100% recycled plastic, called Blue Bin. Of course, I couldn’t wait to taste it.
When the 4 different vintage varieties of Blue Bin arrived at my house – courtesy of Ron Rubin Winery – I was surprised at how much they looked like wine sold in a normal glass bottle. However, when you pick them up, they are very light!
The 4 different varieties are Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and a Rosé. All the wine grapes are from sustainably grown vineyards in California, and the wine is fermented and bottled at Ron Rubin Winery. My tasting notes on the four wines are provided at the end of this article.
If you are wondering why the wine is named ‘Blue Bin,’ it is in reference to the color of most recycling bins (garbage cans) in the U.S. So when you finish drinking the wine, make sure to recycle the plastic bottle in a ‘blue’ recycling bin – or whatever color they may be in your hometown.
Glass Bottles Account for Largest Part of Wine’s Carbon Footprint
The reason the new plastic wine bottles interest me is because traditional glass bottles account for the largest part of wine’s carbon footprint – ranging from 30 to 65%, depending on the winery and location. This is because it takes a lot of energy to produce a glass bottle, and transportation of the filled bottles requires fuel. The heavier the bottle, the more energy is required, and therefore more CO2 is released in the atmosphere.
Indeed the average wine bottle weighs around 500 grams, whereas the new Blue Bin plastic bottle weights only 52 grams. Granted glass bottles are good to use if you are aging wine, but if you plan to drink the wine within 18 months, then Blue Bin’s new plastic bottle will allows you to save it for that long. But since more than 90% of Americans drink wine within 2 weeks of purchasing it, very few people actually need to buy wine in a heavy glass bottle.
Even more impressive is that Blue Bin uses recycled plastic to produce the bottles, in partnership with Amcor Rigid Packaging (ARP). Ron Rubin Winery conducted a two-year assessment of wine packaging to develop this bottle with Amcor. The new bottle features Plasmax technology, a thin glass layer preventing the wine from ever touching the plastic, fully protecting the taste and quality. Even better, it won’t break if you drop it, and is wonderful for using around the pool or at the beach.
So What Does Blue Bin Wine Taste Like?
Given that the wines are offered at an affordable $15 per 750 ml bottle (each bottle has 5 glasses of wine, just like traditional glass bottles), you may be wondering what they taste like. My tasting notes are below.
I should mention that as I was tasting through the wines, my Gen Z daughter (age 26) came to visit. When she saw the plastic bottles, she picked one up and said “Wow, this is so cool! I hope other wineries start to do this soon.” Then she tasted through the wines with me.
Blue Bin 2022 Chardonnay: This was my favorite of the 4 varieties. If you love chardonnay, this one is brimming with ripe yellow apple, lemon, and a touch of floral honeysuckle and toasty oak. It has refreshing acidity, a lot of bright fruit flavors, and an amazingly long finish. This was one of my daughters top 2 favorites as well.
Blue Bin 2022 Sauvignon Blanc: This wine surprised me because it was very fresh, clean and zippy on the palate with notes of lime, lemon zest, and green apple. It has very high acid, and works well with food. As a wine critic, I really liked it, but my Gen Z daughter thought the acid was a little too astringent for her.
Blue Bin 2022 Pinot Grigio: This has the classic pear, lemon, and a slight floral note that is expected with this grape, but it also has a high acid and is produced in a dry style. In a way, it is almost a combination of the character of the chardonnay and sauvignon blanc above. I found this wine tasted better the second day after opening it and leaving it in my refrigerator.
Blue Bin 2022 Vin Rosé: If you love a cheerful slightly sweet pink rosé, this wine is perfect for you. It smells delicious with notes of ripe strawberry and honeysuckle on the nose, which carry through on the palate with added touches of watermelon and juicy peach. This was my daughter’s favorite, and she asked if she could take the bottle home to share with her friends. I said yes, of course!
Blue Bin is currently available at a few wine shops and grocery stores in California, and is hoping to roll out to other states in the future. The wine can also be purchased on the Blue Bin website.
Ron Rubin Winery is Certified Sustainable and a B Corp
In addition to taking a leadership role in producing the first premium wine in the U.S. to be sold in a recycled plastic bottle, Ron Rubin Winery also has impressive sustainability certifications. They have achieved the SIP-Certified (Sustainability in Practice), Certified California Sustainable Vineyard & Winery, and are one of only 33 Certified B Corporation wineries in the world.
Disclosure: I am a member of the Ron Rubin Winery Advisory Board and I received the four bottles of Blue Bin wine as samples. I was not asked to review them, and did so of my own accord. This blog post is my personal opinion of and experience with the wines.