Wine Packaging Shifts to Thrift in Cost, Resources

Wine packaging shifts to thrift in cost, resources BY JEFF QUACKEN B USH last year, the wine industry was shifting BUSINESS JOURNAL STAFF REPORTER toward lighter-weight bottles, PET plas- NORTH BAY – Economics and environ- tic bottles, cartons such as the TetraPak mental sensitivity are driving wine packaging and new takes on the bag-in-box such as design and supply in 2009. the minibarrel. It is a reverse of the design Two primary interests among package de- trend toward heavier bottles intended to sign firm CF Napa’s clients this year have been convey quality. Now there’s a push to re- repositioning existing brands for more promi- duce energy use for production and trans- nence in their historical market position and portation of packaging as part of a global reworking brands to enter a new price point, battle against climate change. particularly the hot under-$10-a-bottle segment, For long-term storage of wine, there’s according to Dave Schuemann, owner and cre- been a movement toward lighter-weight ative director. glass bottles, with increasing availabil- “It used to be that brands in that price point ity for high-end wines. Bottle distributor had to be bright and colorful and fun,” he said. Demptos Glass earlier this year brought to “There is a move to be more and more conser- market the 868-gram Strada line made in vative.” Mexico. “Shelf impact” is still important, but some In May, France-based Saverglass re- owners of brands designed to be “zany and fun” leased the 600-gram-or-less ecoDesign CF Napa design for Jade Mountain are now wanting the packaging to be redesigned line, which maintain classic shapes and to look more serious, sophisticated and of high- strength in key points such as the shoulder ing that would be cut off the bottle for recycling, er value. and bottom while reducing weight from tradi- according to Jimmy Smith, national sales and “We’re hearing from distributors that con- tional luxury bottles by one-third, according marketing director. sumers are looking for value and are concerned to Jean Pierre Giovanni, the new president and Yet the natural cork business has been tout- about getting lesser quality,” Mr. Schuemann chief executive officer. The company will be ing its total recyclability as a pushback against said. Related to maintaining value at lower bringing out more design options as customers the rise in use of screw caps and other closures. prices is the emergence of more dual- and tri- call for more distinctive designs. But with the slump in the economy, cork dis- ple-appellation brands, he said. “It is a natural Factory capacity expanded late last year to tributors say they have been facing inventory- outcome of wineries wanting more flexibility in lower costs via job grouping efficiency, and the management challenges as their winery custom- sourcing,” Mr. Schuemann said. decoration division at the factory is transition- ers seek less-expensive stoppers or push back Some larger companies with vineyard ing to more environmentally friendly materials. bottling schedules. sources in different winegrowing regions are “We’ve been working for 18 months to “Some wineries are looking for cost sav- looking for flexibility when grape prices rise to come up with less heavy metal in decoration for ings and perhaps downgrading to a lower level maintain brand quality in certain price ranges. spirits and wine bottles,” he said. of cork,” said Neil Foster of M.A. Silva Corks CF Napa has been working with the As part of the same shift toward the green- USA in Santa Rosa. “Some wineries have ben- Napa-based Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines ing the business, packaging vendors were being efitted from the economy and want to use a sig- division on packaging for the Jade Mountain urged to find more recyclable packaging, ac- nificantly larger number of corks.” brand, which notes on the label the percentage cording to Mr. Tinknell. His firm was involved Yet wineries increasingly want to know that of grapes from two or three North and Central with custom winemaker Fior di Sole of Napa in a cork bargain won’t mean a “corked” bottle, Coast counties. the incorporation of the totally recyclable Nova according to the distributors. The recent push Environmental-mindedness in the industry is Twist plastic screw cap by EnVino onto its un- by the Cork Quality Council of North Coast helping wineries cut costs, according to Paul Tin- der $25-a-bottle Ca’Momi brand launched in natural-cork distributors to dramatically lower knell of Healdsburg-based design firm Tinknell January. the detectible threshold of the mold compound & Tinknell. “As damaging as the recession has Nova Twist costs more than stoppers such TCA, which is commonly associated with taint, been for the wine industry, it has made the indus- as the 2+2 technical corks but less than Alcan’s is providing documentation to help support try look at being more environmentally friendly Stelvin long-skirted aluminum cap. It looks dif- sales, Mr. Foster said. in winemaking and in packaging,” he said. ferent from other capped wines, and it doesn’t Even before the economy started slowing have metal left behind on the bottle after open-.

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