Private equity-owned Accolade Wines and family-owned Taylors Wines are on the front foot with $17 wines in flat, recycled plastic bottles.
Packamama founder and chief executive Santiago Navarro said the technology is advancing. But for now the wine inside the flat bottles has a shelf life of about 19 months. He anticipates that in a few years’ time it will eventually stretch out longer as new recycled materials are used. “I think we will probably get five or six years of shelf life”.
Accolade Wines Global Chief Marketing Officer Sandy Mayo said consumers are intrigued by the flatter bottles, which are about 83 per cent lighter than a glass bottle and also save on transport costs because almost twice the amount are able to be packed in a container or on a pallet. Santiago Navarro, founder and CEO of Packamama, which in the Australian market is making the flatter, recycled plastic bottles in conjunction with Visy.Mia Lloyd, Coles Liquor acting general manager of customer and trade planning, said in-store staff had been on the front foot to explain the difference, and to offer tastings. They were explaining clearly that it wasn’t designed for wines that require years in the bottle to be at their best.
She said many consumers who purchased wine didn’t intend putting it into a cellar. “A lot of wine is drunk within a week of purchase”. “All that’s changed is the packaging”. She expects more wine brands will take it up, but ultimately that will depend on customer viewpoints, with the early signs very positive. “Customers are going to decide for us,” he said.