A typical case of 75cl wine bottle is only 50% efficient at best, i.e. the volume of wine within it is at the most 50% of the volume of the case. Ecologically this is a bad idea as it increases warehouse space (heating, humidity control, construction fumes, etc.) and transport costs (larger lorries or ships). I don't even have to point out the economic costs of this waste.
Wine, therefore, should be sold in bars. Each bar should be cuboidal at about 2" x 2" x 12", a rather elegant size to place end-up on the table.
The construction material and closure could theoretically remain glass and cork respectively; but this idea proposes the use of more modern robust washable materials along with a standard sized bottle to be used to provide units which could be refilled and relabeled for generations to come. My personal suggestion is one of the newer high pressure ceramics which are both non-porous and far more robust than silicate-based glasses.-- vincevincevince, Apr 27 2008 I was under the impression that wine boxes were Baked, if not to those exact dimensions. The shape of glass bottles is largely determined by the dynamics of how they are made, and the need to be able to pour from them. Substituting ceramics may make it easier to get a square cross-section, but you still need a neck to be able to pour elegantly.-- DrCurry, Apr 27 2008 Wine is not about efficiency. [-]-- MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 27 2008 random, halfbakery