New Wine Packaging

The Lempert Report
July 24, 2014

Redefining the Wine Industry

Does perception affect taste?  Does a steak taste better if you use silver instead of a plastic knife and fork? Will the tableside freshly grated cheese taste better than if you just shook it out of a shaker? Now think about wine. Traditional expectations are that good wines come in a bottle. Some wine aficionados would still argue for a bottle with a cork over a screw top. Regardless of what food science tells us. But do these misperceptions stop us from enjoying some foods? or wines? At the most basic level, the closure and package for wine is there to keep the wine in and light and oxygen out. Take a look how new wine packaging is redefining the wine industry.

Mike Bolstridge, Tetra Pak. Does a carton work for storing wine? Technical benefit of a carton: Protection of the product. Carton has barrier materials to protect against oxygen. You don’t lose anything from carton

?One company that has embraced new innovations in packaging their wine is Bandit Wines, the brainchild of the “Three Thieves” winemakers – Joel Gott, Charles Bieler and Roger Scommegna. These entrepreneurs got together in 2001 with the purpose of finding great wines, and selling them at low prices.  The "Three Thieves” then took it a step further and developed “Bandit Wines” -  wine in Eco Smart containers. Charles Bieler told us:
"Because we’re able to save money on glass and cork, we have more cash to pour into the quality of our wine. So before you judge a box by its cover, unscrew the top, pour yourself a glass of one of our award-winning varietals, and take a sip."

For Bandit Wines, it was about price and convenience.  So, what about taste? From Pinot Grigio to Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet they exclusively source premium grapes from some of California’s best wine-growing regions, including Monterey and Napa. And winning the wine industry’s Impact Hot Prospect award for the last five consecutive years proves how good it tastes; even without that cork!.