Cowhorn, a small winery in the Applegate Valley in Oregon, USA, has just sent its first shipment of 1000 used wine bottles to The Green Glass Company where they will be upcycled into heirloom goblets, pitchers, tumblers, vases, and votives.
From the Mayor of New York to the King of Spain, Green Glass Company goblets can be found on the dining tables of wine lovers the world over who want to enjoy new wine in old glass.
In a complementary program, the Ashland Food Co-op, Southern Oregon’s first and only Certified Organic retailer, has partnered with Cowhorn, the up-and-coming wine region’s first and only Certified Biodynamic estate winery, to convert used corks into reusable, compostable wine packs guaranteed to contain a minimum of 99% recycled content.
Corks collected at the Co-op’s Ashland store and the estate’s Applegate Valley tasting room are sent to Corvallis-based Western Pulp, a company known for making high-quality biodegradable packaging and planters from recycled pulp.
At Cowhorn, even the soft metal bottle cap covering the cork gets a new life through Rogue Recycling. The winery invites Rogue Valley residents to recycle torn tins and natural corks from any winery and used Cowhorn bottles at its Applegate Valley tasting room.
“Everything in nature flows in cycles, and there really is no such thing as waste,” says Barbara Steele, co-owner of Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden.
“It’s not enough for us to endeavor to grow great grapes and produce world-class wine. Being Biodynamic is also about closing all of the loops and that means taking responsibility for our packaging.
“We provide our local community a way to upcycle glass and recycle corks, and hope to inspire other wineries and wine lovers to do the same in their region. One of the greatest aspects of the emerging Biodynamic wine world is that there is genuine spirit of friendly competition in an all out race to the top to do the right thing.”