Sunday, 3 October 2021

Wine pouches are in vogue; and good for the planet




When I posted an image of the Greenskin wine pouches on social media a couple of days ago, it provoked an angry reaction.

Dinosaurs were out in force with comments like: "We don't need more plastic in the world, wine should be drunk from a bottle" and "the planet does not need more disposable packaging".

Wrong people. Wrong.

Greenskin Wines are promoted as Australia’s first 100% recyclable, re-sealable, glassless way to enjoy quality wine.

Ideal for taking on a picnic, or to the beach, the lightweight, "unbreakable", re-sealable Greenskin pouches each hold 750ml of wine, take 80% less energy than glass to produce, and weigh 40% less than bottles, producing far fewer emissions in manufacture and transport.

They also come with a reply paid envelope to send them away for recycling when they are empty.

“We have set up a free, easy recycling program,” says co-founder Kim McKee. “Each six-pack includes a pre-paid satchel for people to put their empties in and drop in the mail. They then go direct to our recycling partner, REDcycle. This is the first ‘mail-in’ system of this kind that we know of.”

The first Greenskin release features six different wines from the 2020 vintage made by producers in Margaret River and Great Southern.

Leading viticulturist and wine scientist Dr Richard Smart and green-leaning wine writer Max Allen are among those to have endorsed the idea. Trentham Estate is also selling wines in pouches under the Three's a Crowd brand.

Of the wines in the Greenskin range I have tasted, the rather delicious chardonnay is currently in my fridge awaiting another glass being poured, and the rosé was very dry and decent. 

Having tasted the range; the chardonnay is the star with the rose, cabernet merlot and pinot noir all very tasty. The syrah was the only disappointment. 

Co-founder Mike Davies says: "Forget your disturbing goon-bag memories from yesteryear; this is all about quality wine in a smart, convenient package."

So if you find traditional wine bottles heavy, bulky, breakable and very inconvenient to dispose of when camping or hiking or at the beach, here is a modern "easy to chill" alternative.

Greenskin Wine Series One has six different wines, sold by the six-pack direct to consumers. Prices are in line with a regular mid-level bottle at around $25-30. 

Check out the details and sustainability benefits at www.greenskinwine.com

So the scoffers are probably flailing angrily at the environmentally-friendly future.

   

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