Glass Forest, a glass studio in the city of Furano, has been making wine glasses out of discarded Furano Wine bottles. They have been making these glasses since last summer in an effort to create a unique product that can only be found in Furano. In addition to the studio’s store, the glasses are sold at the New Furano Prince Hotel in the city, and at the Furano Winery.

　They range in size from a small to large, and come in a variety of shapes, some of which are designed with bubbles in the glass. In addition, recycled ‘Shibare Glass’ – made from glass from the factory, which develops cracks over the years – have been sold at the New Furano Prince Hotel store since March. The green color is the color used for bottles that contain white wine.

　The recycled glasses can only be made just before the kiln is cleaned, which is done three times a year. The reason is that when the colored wine bottles are melted, the color migrates to the kiln and other glass. When the first 30 or so glasses were made and sold at the winery last July, they sold out by autumn, with many tourists purchasing them as a set with wine.

　The glass used for the wine bottles is said to be harder and more difficult to handle than the glass material used for glass crafts usually made in small workshops. The city’s Grapevine Research Institute, which provided the bottles, welcomes the reuse of the bottles, saying, “We are grateful that the bottles, which should have been thrown away, have been turned into something valuable. Head of the workshop, Kono Katsuyoshi said, “Furano is a wine town and is environmentally conscious [in terms of waste separation and recycling]. We hope you will enjoy Furano’s unique flavor, in many ways, with these glasses.”