Wine fans could soon be pouring the beverage from a plastic bottle, as a South African wine estate has started to sell some of its products in such bottles rather than glass.

In an article for CNN, Robert Curnow said Backsberg Estate decided to make the move to plastic as it is more environmentally friendly.

He also noted the firm stated they will also save substantial amounts on transport costs and the polyethylene terephthalate containers are also easier to recycle than glass.

Wine marketing manager at the establishment Simon Back told the news provider plastic bottles are slightly smaller than their traditional counterparts and so will reduce delivery costs.

And according to the winery, the tipple that is going into the bottles - called Tread Lightly - is not cheap.

Pommery Vineyard in France recently announced it has redesigned the bottles for its Champagne in a bid to reduce carbon emissions that are associated with transporting the drink across the world.