One of the world's lightest 750ml wine bottles has been created, meaning people may soon be enjoying their champagne and Cloudy Bay from more environmentally-friendly packaging.

Nampak Wiegand Glass has produced a bottle that weighs only 340g, compared to the standard 450g, as well as being made from 45 per cent recovered waste glass.

South African winemaker Douglas Green Bellingham (DGB) will use the bottles for its Culemborg range, and around two million units of the lightweight design are expected to be produced in its first year.

Pieter Marais, general manager of operations at DGB, said the new bottles will result in a 24 per cent weight reduction in glass, saving over 100 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year.

Recently, the Botanical Research Institute of Texas presented the 2011 International Award of Excellence in Sustainable Winegrowing to Parducci Wine Cellars in Mendocino County, California.