Alternative Packaging is a Good Thing

Written by Rusty Eddy Tuesday, 17 November 2009 09:37

News

Two interesting stories today about wine packaging.  I've espoused the use of screw tops for a long time, but these two stories go a bit further.

First, Delta Airlines is now pouring Three Thieves' Bandit wines, packed in a Tetra Pak, as their by-the-glass wine on international flights.  International travelers, one assumes, are more open-minded and accepting of alternatives than stodgy Americans on domestic flights.

Next, a vintner in New Zealand, the land of wine innovation (along with Australia) is now bottling his Sauvignon Blanc in plastic bottles.  He says his market is the 70% of Sauvignon sold in supermarkets for under $20, and consumed with a week.  The bottles will even have an "18-month best-before date" because of the possibility of oxygen spoiling the wine.  See the story here.

I've purchased (and sucked down) quite a few bottles, uh Tetra Paks, of Bandit Pinot Grigio.  It's great on a hot day.  I've even taken it to parties and defended it against snide comments from my wine-savvy brethren.  I say the more alternatives we have in the wine world, the better.

And while I have only my own gut feelings as evidence, I believe that alternatives also attract the attention of new customers.

We don't have any plans to use Tetra Paks or plastic bottles at Clayhouse Wines, but we do now bottle all of our Adobe and Vineyard series wines with screw tops, a great step in the right direction.

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