Eco packaging has the potential to revolutionise the wine industry, with tetra packs, currently used for milk and juices being adapted for the wine industry. The all important carbon footprint is reduced by the dramatic weight reduction compared to bottles, making freight costs dramatically lower. They even claim a longer shelf life than the current box technology.
A century ago refrigeration transformed the beef industry, wiping out the tyranny of distance and giving Australian producers for the first time real access to global markets.
Now an innovative Australian export winery is using Swedish packaging technology to dramatically reduce its carbon footprint and tap into a wave of green consumer activism now sweeping Europe.
Up until now green-minded wine drinkers have had a choice between eco-friendly bag-in-the-box wine and heavy energy-intensive glass bottles. But it has really been no choice at all.
I wonder what the cork snobs will have to say about this. Will it have to be decanted before being served at the table. It looks a bit lowbrow, but very practical. One of the largest local business in our neighbourhood is a huge wine bottle manufacturing facility run by Owens Illinois. I wonder what they make of this incursion into their market?
