Wine Projects and Sustainability

We all do our best to reduce, reuse, and recycle, but sometimes it’s a lot more fun to really create something rather than toss it in a bin with hopes that it will truly be reused down the road. Chateau Ste Michelle releases their annual Artist Series wines in very decorative and beautifully constructed boxes, but once the wine comes out to be put on the cellar shelf, what to do with the box?

While the 2019 Artist Series box was made from cardboard, although beautiful, it was not particularly useful other than to transport my wine home from the winery. However, the 2016 and 2017 boxes were made of wood, much like the type uses to ship cases in Europe, but these were more ornate and constructed more like a puzzle box than a shipping crate. Instead of adding to the weekly trash pile, I decided to turn the emptied box into a bird house, as the shape already mimicked an old-style bird house and what bird wouldn’t want to live in wine box luxury??

After removing the pieces inside that kept the bottles stable, a few holes, and a new perch, the Ste Michelle Bird Chateau is ready for new guests!!