Dual Purpose Beverage Bottles

Earlier this week, notable Spanish chef, Martín Berasategui, premiered an invention that he claims will revolutionize the wine world. Berasategui, whose eponymous restaurant garnered three Michelin stars and placed 29th in Restaurant Magazine's 50 Best Restaurants of 2008, has created a bottle that acts as a decanter. In addition, the uniquely shaped bottle is pinched at the bottom to trap remaining sediment that can make many vintage wines undrinkable. This innovative design approach inspired a search for other examples of dual-purpose beverage bottling.

In France, a company called WineSide is packaging top quality French wines in 10 cl (that's 100 milliliters, or roughly 3.4 ounces for those using the metric system) test-tube style bottles. This miniature packaging is ideal for wine tastings and restaurants due to its single-serving size. Additionally, WineSide claims that the screwtop cap on their bottles ensures the flavor of the wine.

But the innovation doesn't stop with wine. There have been a few intriguing beer-related releases over the past year from MillerCoors. The Miller Vortex has a specially designed bottleneck, which is supposed to create a swirling effect when you drink the beer, thus improving the flavor. You kind of get it. It's the same principle behind swirling your glass while you pour beer to boost the aroma.

Of course, the other recent innovation by MillerCoors was the Coors Light Cold-Activated Bottle. We all know that Coors Light is best when chilled, but how cold is cold enough? Look at the color of the Rocky Mountains on the label, the range turns from white to blue when the beer is cold. Now you never have to guess.

The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for the previous The Daily Byte.