Alternative packaging gains fans

By JACK HEEGER

Register Staff Writer

Friday, December 07, 2007

A recent survey among wine consumers in the United Kingdom indicated that 37 percent of consumers are more receptive to alternative wine packaging, particularly PET plastic bottles and bags-in-a-box. Pouches and Tetra Paks also were mentioned.

But consumers drew the line at a ring-pull container, even for picnics. However, for informal occasions, including picnics, 82 percent said they would consider PET bottles and 79 percent would consider bags-in-a-box.

Although 63 percent said they prefer glass bottles, when shown other forms of packaging, five out of six said they were likely to buy one of the alternatives, or were neutral in their response.

The bag-in-a-box idea seems to be gaining in popularity all over, even in the United States, primarily because it is believed to be more ecologically friendly. Sales of the so-called cask wines in grocery stores have increased 53.6 percent in the past 26 weeks, compared to a year ago, according to figures from the Nielsen Company.

DFV Wines, with facilities in Napa, has come out with a new “green” look for its Bota Box. They “borrowed” the name from the bota bag, an old world method of carrying wine in a leather pouch.

The Bota Box is made from 95 percent post-consumer and is completely recyclable, the ink on the package is water-based and the paper layers are held together by cornstarch instead of glue.

The Wine Group in San Francisco sells several brands in boxes, including Killer Juice. The company has produced a chart showing the relative carbon dioxide emissions per 100 gallons, and, not surprisingly, bag-in-a-box came out as the lowest emitter, with bottles the highest, about three times as much as the boxed package. The company also showed that bottled wine produces almost 10 times the amount of waste per 9-liter case as bag-in-a-box.

This seems to contradict the aforementioned UK survey which showed that 60 percent of respondents thought glass bottles were environmentally friendly, while 84 percent thought they were easy to recycle.

Alternative packaging comes in all shapes, too. Revelry Vintners in Washington has created a box in a cylindrical shape that has approximately the same dimensions as a 750 ml bottle but holds 1.5 liters.

Three Thieves has introduced a new Tetra Pak comprised of 70 percent paper, and says that it would take 26 trucks filled with empty bottles to equal one truck filled with empty Tetra Pak cartons.

The wines inside are not necessarily jug-style wines. DFV was just named as Wine Enthusiast’s Winery of the Year, and its shiraz, which also is available in the Bota Box, was named Best of California at the State fair judging two consecutive years.

The Wine Group’s Killer Juice is 90 percent cabernet sauvignon and 10 percent petite sirah from California’s Central Coast.