We’ve been working on it for two years, and now the time has come: Rewe Austria is now selling wine in plastic bottles. “The new wine bottle made of PET is extremely light, aesthetic, very handy and unbreakable,” says Herbert Toifl, managing director of the Wegenstein winery. This is an own brand of the Rewe Group, which is supplied by 600 predominantly Austrian winemakers.
According to Christoph Fingerlos, responsible quality manager at the Wegenstein winery, the starting point for the considerations was the energy crisis. “Without gas there is no glass.” First, it was theoretically tested whether it was even possible to fill a PET bottle with alcohol. “She has to take the pressure.” And the usual screw cap has to fit just as well as the appearance and quality of the wine. In collaboration with the Vorarlberg packaging specialist, everything turned out to be feasible.
According to Fingerlos, the innovation brings with it numerous advantages: Significantly less CO2-Emissions than the production of conventional glass bottles, lower transport costs due to the lower bottle weight of only around 50 grams per bottle and the recyclability of the PET packaging. “A box with 6 bottles is 2 kilograms lighter.” And 144 more bottles are possible on one plate.
Christoph Fingerlos, Herbert Toifl and Werner Rosenberger, Alpla Sales Director Austria (von links)
First of all, from now on the “Heuriger 2023” available from 2.99 euros per bottle at Billa, Billa Plus, Adeg, Penny and Sutterlüty. This variety, a cuvée of Müller-Thurgau, Pinot Blanc and Welschriesling with an alcohol content of 12.5 percent, is also available at the same price Available in glass bottles. “From January 2025, as part of the disposable deposit system, there will be no deposit of 25 cents on the PET bottle, which will be refunded in grocery stores. The bottle will then be recycled in the plastic recycling process,” adds Fingerlos.
According to Toifl, the shelf life of the wine in the PET bottle is “a maximum of two years”. However, a bottle of wine is not left on the shelf for longer than three months anyway.
Toifl does not want to advertise the PET bottle excessively; it will depend on customer feedback whether further Wegenstein wines are added. Then the price could also fall, because PET is actually cheaper than glass. “If there are many millions of pieces, we will pass on the cheaper production to the customers.” The winemakers don’t care about the packaging, the young people see it as a positive because it’s easier to transport and therefore more convenient. “It’s similar to closures.”
According to Werner Rosenberger, the project manager responsible at Alpla, there are already many inquiries from other winemakers, especially from Germany. But until autumn, the innovation is exclusively reserved for Wegenstein. “The French already do it with red wine.”