There was a time when wine poured from a glass bottle sealed under cork was the only acceptable form of packaging for consumers.
Times have changed, and so have consumer perceptions and lifestyles. As a result, there are more packaging choices than ever. From glass bottles sealed with roll-on pilfer-proof (ROPP) screw tops to bag-in-a-box, liquid cartons and even cans. The humble glass bottle and cork are no longer the default packaging choices for winemakers.
“Consumers are happily buying wine under screw caps,” says Riekie de Jager, national wine buyer at Ultra Liquors.
“The risk of having a cork tainted wine is 0% and it has now been long enough to know that the quality of the wine and its age ability are not impacted by a screw cap.”
As for bag-in-a-box, De Jager notes how the quality of wine that was traditionally packaged in boxes has improved, and consumers can now purchase a great wine at an affordable price.
“Ten years ago, the leftovers of the harvest would be put in box and an inferior product would be sold. These days, you can buy very decent wine in a bag-in-box format. Single cultivars are used and not just a blend of leftovers.”
More acceptable
De Jager went on to say that boxed and carton wine have become increasingly acceptable among consumers thanks to partnerships between retailers and well-known wine brands.
Woolworths, for example, has collaborated with Beyerskloof, Diemersdal and Kleine Zalze to package some of their wines in the 2L slimline bag-in-a-box.
“It is this type of retailer-winemaker partnership that not only provides consumers with a better deal on their favourite labels, but also makes it more acceptable to buy bag-in-a-box wine,” says De Jager.
“And yet in Scandinavian countries, buying wine in a box or carton has never been frowned upon and is something they’re happy to buy and serve at home.”
Wine and its packaging continue to evolve, with liquid cartons gaining momentum as a sought-after packaging solution for wine manufacturers.
Growth of wine in cartons
In fact, according to NielsonIQ’s data, in South Africa, the volume of wine in cartons in the formal market increased by 50,7% from 2022 to 2023, and 55,7% in value over the same time period. This double digit growth has continued into 2024.
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