Meet the new wine trend set to make a sales impact

People pour their wine from glass bottles of various sizes, from casks, pouches, cans, and even paper containers.

Now aluminium bottles are the latest trend in wine packaging.

There are growing moves to change the way wine is packaged and sold to reduce its environmental impact by using aluminium bottles instead of glass.

Bogle Family Wine Collection in the US unveiled 750ml aluminium wine bottles that are lightweight, recyclable, and constructed in the shape of a traditional wine bottle a couple of years ago.

Element[AL] Wines are sold in 100% recyclable aluminium bottles for $US14.  

“Element[AL] is more than just the launch of a new wine brand, it’s the beginning of a new way of thinking for the wine industry,” said Jody Bogle, VP of consumer relations at Bogle Family Wine Collection.

“We began by looking for ways to lightweight our existing glass bottles, and that led to a more radical approach that we feel consumers are ready to embrace.”

And trade publication the drinks business this week reported that two major brands in Europe have officially unveiled wines in aluminium bottles, with more expected to come.

Canned wine brand Vinca is releases wine in brightly printed aluminium bottles (above).

The 750ml wine bottles contain and organic white (made from Sicilian-grown catarratto grapes) and a syrah/Nero d’Avola blend.

Vinca’s initial pre-sale of 100 gift sets (offering both wines for £20) sold out within 24 hours and the wines are now on sale via Vinca’s website www.vincawine.com and Tesco stores. The wines will cost £9.

Supermarket chain Aldi has announced that its own-label The Costellore Pinot Grigio (£5.99) will be sold in an aluminium bottle from Monday.

Both Vinca and Aldi have touted the many positives of using aluminium. For starters, Vinca says, the material is “infinitely recyclable” without impacting the quality of the aluminium. Every gram of its bottle, so the brand says, is made from recycled aluminium.

What’s more, both companies claim aluminium bottles are significantly less carbon-intensive to make than glass bottles.

“Because they weigh just 68g, they cut carbon emissions at every step,” Vinca said.

Additionally, Aldi has declared that its aluminium bottle is stronger than its glass counterparts, despite being “75% lighter than a standard glass bottle” at just 95g.

“Our buying teams are constantly exploring ways to offer greater value and greener choices for our customers,” said Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at Aldi UK.

“We are looking for ways to make a difference, and we’re proud to be leading the

One consumer concern might be how effective an aluminium bottle is at keeping the wine inside fresh, but Vinca’s bottles feature a special lining which it says does the job well. The B-Corp-certified company further says that its aluminium bottles are “five times faster to chill than glass.”

The argument goes that aluminium cools faster than glass because it has a higher thermal conductivity.

An interesting development.