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The news that Foster’s Group wine label Wolf Blass will become the first winemaker in Australia to market part of its range in plastic bottles in a bid to capture a slice of the green market has certainly caused a stir in Asia’s glass bottle sector.
Wolf Blass has launched the new Green Label plastic bottled wine series with claims that it produces 29 per cent less in terms of greenhouse gas emissions than traditional glass bottles.
The company says the new PET bottles are also 90 per cent lighter than industry standard glass bottles. The company will back the launch with a $1million advertising and in-store sampling campaign over the next three months. Global brand director Oliver Horn admitted to being nervous about how consumers might react to the new packaging after spending three years developing it in Canada.
"We are nervous and excited," Mr Horn said. "I think consumers might be sceptical about wine in PET bottles and probably a little suspicious."
He said that the technology allowed the wine to remain in the bottle for 12 months with no impact on the flavour, aroma or colour.
The company has worked on barrier technology that stops oxygen seeping into the PET bottles over time -- something that was seen as a major hurdle to adopting plastic as packaging. However, he said the broad acceptance of screw caps on premium wine bottles after a period of scepticism was a signal that consumers would embrace the change.
Mr Horn admitted the Green Label launch was seen as a packaging experiment by the winemaker, rather than an attempt at "greenwashing" the brand, or making claims of being environmentally friendly that could not be supported.
The claims on reduced greenhouse gas emissions follow a "lifecycle assessment" of the wine and packing process. Mr Horn said the new lines were not intended for cellaring, but to be consumed within 48 hours of purchase. While the use of PET bottles is limited to the new lines, Mr Horn has not ruled out extending their use to other lines if they prove popular.
Surely, we – as consumers – should draw the line here? Wine should come in glass, period.
Happy reading!
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