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Over in Britain, a nation of binge-drinking alcoholics, there's now yet another way to get a booze-fix. Marks and Spencer, the kindly uncle of national department stores, is selling a single-serve glass of wine.
The glasses, actually recyclable plastic, come pre-filled with 187ml (6.3-ounces) of Shiraz, Chardonnay or rose and have a peel-off foil lid. They cost £2.25 each ($3.37), which makes them more expensive than buying the same wine by the bottle (four glasses add up to £9, whereas the bottle is £4.50).
The product was invented by an Englishman named James Nash, and ironically his idea, before being picked up by M&S, was laughed off UK reality business show Dragon's Den by its foolish, short-sighted panel.
The idea of single-serve wine could really take off. In-flight beverage service is the obvious market, doing away with the wastefully separate bottle and cup, but picnics for one could also work well. Sitting in the park with a sandwich, a bottle of wine and a glass will draw in some stares, even if you aren't dressed like a wino. But with a cold glass (plastic) glass of Chardonnay to accompany your smoked salmon bagel, you'll be the most sophisticated bum in Union Square. Chin-chin!
Wine Innovations product page [Wine Innovations]
Wine-in-a-glass entrepreneur ridiculed in Dragons' Den toasts M&S success [Daily Mail via Crave]
