Decanter World Wine AwardsWine to be packed in cartons in UK for first time
- Monday 3 September 2012
First UK-packaged wine cartons: Tetra Pak
Wine importer Raisin Social has teamed up with UK-based Greencroft Bottling and Tetra Pak to launch wines from two South African producers in Tetra Pak.
There are two Fairtrade wines from Du Toitskloof, a Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot red and a Chenin Blanc-Sauvignon Blanc, which will be exclusively in Waitrose.
Also, in an initial production run of 100,000 Tetra Pak cartons, will be a Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Chenin Blanc-Sauvignon Blanc from Namaqua wines, which will go into retailers including Costcutter, Budgens, Nisa and Londis.
Globally, around 10% of still wines are packaged in cartons, which supporters say are lighter, easier to recycle and more convenient than glass bottles.
However, in the UK, a recent survey by Wine Intelligence found that bottles remain 'by far the most popular choice'.
There have been many attempts at selling wine in cartons in the UK, such as Boisset's French Rabbit; most have failed to go mainstream.
Still, some believe that Tetra Pak may yet succeed where the likes of PET bottles and pouches have struggled. 'Of all the packaging that has come along recently, Tetra has more potentially useful attributes to it,' the COO of Wine Intelligence, Richard Halstead, told Decanter.com.
Tetra Pak cartons are made from low-carbon raw materials, primarily containing paperboard made from wood.The majority of Tetra Pak in the UK is from responsibly managed forests, Raisin Social said in a press release.
There are significant environmental advantages to Tetra Pak and similar paperboard cartons: while glass makes up around 40% of the weight of a bottle of wine, a carton can be as little as 4%. Its square shape allows it to be packed more tightly than a bottle, meaning cases can be smaller and lighter and require less warehouse space.
'Tetra has the potential to become a successful niche. Whether consumers accept it is now in the lap of the gods,' Halstead said.
Raisin Social managing director Simon Halliday said that Tetra Pak wine offers better value-for-money. 'We believe there's going to be growth in the Tetra category,' he said.
The Du Toitskloof wines will go into Waitrose at £4.99 per 75cl carton, following consumer research at the retailer.
Before opening, wines in Tetra Pak have a shelf life of 18 months.
Have your say!
Alan
September 08 17:06
£4.99 for 75cl! You have got to be joking.
Michael Schmelzer
September 05 06:18
Tetra Paks offer the most promising alternative to glass for the ready to drink category. We have chosen to produce a high quality certified organic wine in tetra pak because of the high percentage of wine consumed immediately after purchase. We believe it is the best alternative option on the market.
A standard glass bottle weighs 410gr, a tetra pak 40g. This equates to 6 tonnes of glass for every container of wine transported compared to 600Kg of tetra pak carton (which is 80% paper).
If an alternative offers protection, preservation and a quality wine, why wouldn’t we consider drinking our everyday wine from a carton?
Our Tetra Pak package costs less than the cork we put in our bottle, our transportation costs are considerably less, we can pass the savings (35%) on to our consumer.
@chris, Aluminum leaching does not happen, it would taint the wine. Aluminum tins have been lined with a polymer since nearly their inception and still are for this reason.
T.
September 04 00:33
Is it just me or are the tree huggers at it again?? They're not happy even though they have us guilt ridden and brainwashed into "making the Bottle Bank part of your weekly shop", but call me cynical, it's more than likely someone's on the make....so get ready for the Tetra Pak Bank coming to a town near you. I'm really looking forward to the day when I can go out for a nice meal and I get to order my favourite Tetra Pak of wine, and look on the bright side, no more corkage fees!!!
Anthony Rose
September 03 15:37
There's been quite a lot of activity on Twitter recently on the subject of UK bottling of mass market South African wines. Since Namaqua is a brand name of the Vredendal Co-operative, it would be interesting to hear from Chris Mercer or Simon Halliday on the economic and social implications for the growers and workers of bulk shipping and bottling in the UK.