Aluminum bottles could become the new fashion for wine packaging

More and more fine wines are using heavier glass bottles to show their consumer group's luxurious wine consumption concept.

At the same time, more high-quality wines facing the mass market are packaged in 3-liter boxes and individually packaged in plastic and aluminum, conveying a convenient and approachable consumption concept to consumers.

According to the latest sales information, there are a wide range of new packaging materials that replace the traditional 750ml glass bottles, which is eye-opening.

AC Nielsen's latest food, Drug and Liquor store survey shows that sales of three-liter bottles of wine are up 42.5% since September 2005, compared with A 7% increase in sales of traditionally packaged wines.

Annual sales of wine in 187ml plastic bottles rose 16.3%.

Wine in screw-topped boxes has been sold to the masses for decades.

Wine marketing experts say that the way wine is packaged today is not that different from what it used to be, except that the quality of the wine is improving.

The reason is mainly due to the variety of wines and the different consumption concepts conveyed by different ways of packaging.

In 2003, Black Box Wines sold three-liter cases of 2001 Napa Valley Chardonnay at a retail price of $25, the same as a conventional bottle for $6.25.

The move opened up new market share for boxed wines retailing at $16 to $20.

Similar moves have been followed by Australia's Hardy Stamp collection and Delicato's BOTA wines.

In 2005, Beringers and Fetzer Vineyards introduced 187ml plastic bottles.

Some predict that 2006 is likely to be a big year for aluminum bottles: CCL Container of Pennsylvania and Exal of Ohio have both been repeatedly asked about the possibility of developing bottles of wine similar to beer and energy drinks.

And Iksar is currently working with Yoy Rat Imagery of Geyserville on a project called The Aluminum Bottle Consortium.

Tincknell, a wine marketing company based in Heldsburg that has been involved in Black Box marketing, is working with local wineries to explore the use of separate aluminium bottles for wine.

Mr. Paul said aluminum bottles are expected to enter the market this year.

Compared with traditional glass bottle packaging, aluminum bottle packaging is light weight, low cost, the bottle body to the neck can be printed in 6 colors.

While the mold needed to make a glass bottle can cost up to $50,000, the cost of making an aluminum bottle is much lower.

Top of the list of issues winemakers now need to address are oxygen penetration in plastic bottles and changing production lines for aluminium refits.