Saturday, June 12, 2010

University Viticulture Programs Get Boost From Bottle Manufacturer

O-I (NYSE:OI), the world’s largest glass packaging manufacturer, has given a boost to the education of future vintners by supplying more than 458 cases of glass wine bottles to the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology.

“O-I’s generosity and investment in our students has made a critical difference, providing us with the materials necessary to continue making our teaching and research programs truly outstanding,” said Chik Brenneman, Winery and Vineyard Manager of UC Davis’ Department of Viticulture. “These wine bottles made many of our large-scale projects possible and served to educate students on the benefits of glass packaging for wine.”

O-I supplied glass wine bottles in three separate shipments, totaling more than 5,500 wine bottles, over the last year. These glass wine bottles supported a variety of student endeavors, ranging from large programs to individual projects.

Students used one shipment of O-I’s glass bottles to hold wine for a department program entitled Wine Flavor 101A: Reducing Flavor Negatives. The program, targeting students and industry partners, served as an educational session about wine taints and faults, and how to recognize and mitigate each. In addition, bottles were used for bottling wines used in a sensory analysis class as well as a master's thesis on the effects of filtration on the sensory attributes of wine.

“These students are on their way to becoming tomorrow’s vintners, and O-I’s partnership with the university is just one element of a larger program dedicated to further their education,” said Kelley Yoder, Wine Marketing Manager for O-I North America . “Nothing beats first-hand experience and we are excited to provide students with the opportunity to learn everything they can about glass packaging and its benefits for wine.”

The company’s Best in Glass outreach program educates viticulture and enology students about the use of glass bottles in the winemaking process. Through this program, universities can receive O-I wine bottles year-round in a variety of colors and sizes. In addition to glass donations, O-I also offers classroom presentations, glass manufacturing plant tours and networking opportunities for students.

Photo show O-I's new lightweight wine bottles, the lightest in North America.

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