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Snoop Dogg 19 Crimes Glass Packaging for Wine Labels

8 Premium Glass Packaging Trends in Wine

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Glass packaging trends in the wine industry are always changing, but remain grounded in tradition.  As leaders of the US domestic market in glass packaging, and decades of experience in the industry, Global Package have been creating these trends as much as utilizing them. 

Global Package has strategic alliances with innovative suppliers, designers and marketing collaborators both domestically and internationally. These strategic alliances allow us to keep up to date with trends globally from various spheres including material, design, market behavior, and digital behavior. As they allow our business to evolve, we are able to develop exciting new lines to assist our clients (you) launch and market your brands to a continually developing audience as your business evolves along with it.

In this article, we’ve collected and compiled a breakdown of current trends and traditional conventions to assist in your choice of glass packaging for your wine label. Global Package will keep you apprised of trends in common glass packaging practices as you read on.

Stay ahead of the pack with Global Package; our modern, practical glass packaging solutions take into account current trends while respecting traditional wine bottle styles.

 

Snoop Dogg 19 Crimes Glass Packaging for Wine Labels

Quality glass packaging for wine

Quality glass packaging for wine can be hard to find, but making a selection from the wide variety of unique and traditional bottles to compete against established brands is so much harder.

While being influenced by the latest trends may seem unoriginal, there are reasons why trends are trends. When utilized in an informed way that complements your brand rather than becoming it, sales potential and brand awareness in a very competitive market is increased.

We’ll aim to show you where the market is going, and why it’s going that way. COVID-19’s effect on drinking habits, shifting consumer ideologies towards premiumization and sustainable practices like eco-friendly packaging, and the market downturn have all facilitated the current shift in glass packaging trends.

Get trending

Read through our guide for information about your wine packaging options and what trends are most popular right now. Global Package offers solutions in every market trend, as well as some innovations of our own.

The shift in wine bottle packaging trends

Fine wines were formerly only regarded as such when they were packaged in 750mL glass packaging with natural corks, evolving eventually to screw cap closures becoming more accepted by the industry and consumers. Nowadays, other kinds of innovative wine packaging, particularly PET plastic bottles, pouches, and cans are increasingly becoming popular due to growing environmental concerns and the impact of COVID-19.

Nevertheless, there are some winemakers that prefer bottled wine and proper glass packaging because the material is inert and allows for the wine to mature unaltered over time. Moreover, consumers resonate with proper glass bottles as it speaks to quality and adds to the perception of themselves of a discerning wine enthusiast. The vast majority of people still associate truly fine wine with glass bottle packaging.

As a result, many wineries have chosen to keep glass bottle packaging that, aside from the brand name, generally all looks the same. Packaging that looks uninteresting is a sure recipe for not standing out on retail shelves. When it comes to packaging your wine brand for market success, what preferences should influence the overall physical appearance of your wine glass bottle?

The packaging that wine is presented  in is as important as the wine itself. Of course, the bottle’s content is important, but consider the last time you purchased a bottle of wine. Was it because you had a taste of the wine first, or could it have been the allure of the packaging?

8 Premium Glass Packaging Trends

Global Package keeps up to date with premium glass packaging trends by offering a range of innovative wine bottles

The overall outlook of your wine bottle is a big deal. You could use bold colors on labels, infuse augmented reality designs as 19 Crimes did, or simply make your bottles appear in fancy boxes. All these extra touches determine if a wine will stand out or not.

Wine bottles and the packages they come in have had a lot of time to evolve. Today, wine producers are endlessly inventive when it comes to the aesthetics of their wine and champagne bottles.

Here are some recent or enduring packaging solution trends for your consideration:

1. Eco-friendly Packaging

Creative packaging has always been one of the best and most effective ways to help a brand get noticed in a crowded market. But today, the bar is higher. A consumer has to feel invested in a brand story before they buy; they want to see themselves and their beliefs reflected in all aspects of the wine, from the vine to the wine bottle.

Packaging trends are moving towards more eco-friendly and sustainable options, thanks to shifting consumer ideologies. Over half of consumers are committed to buying from sustainable brands when possible, and they are searching for more responsible behavior from the vineyard through the retail channels. 

Even if your message isn’t sustainability, winemakers are being rewarded for doing their part in the caretaking of our environment. Shifting your sustainability practices towards eco-friendly packaging is one of the simplest and most effective ways to communicate this message.

  • Lighter weights
  • Lower shipping costs
  • Less carbon dioxide
  • Eco-friendly
  • Values of “Alternative”, “Sustainable” and “Eco-conscious” are Trending

Lighter weights, less money spent on glass, less shipping costs, less carbon dioxide produced in manufacturing, due to recycled glass and lowered glass weight per bottle. Glass bottle packaging has achieved something no other industry has, affordable methods to combat climate change without hurting the market, and Global Package is at the forefront of eco-friendly, sustainable glass packaging.

2. Custom Glass Shape

This quintessential creative step promotes a clear and strong commitment to the quality of a product.  Eye-catching appeal can come from unique bottle lines, embossed imagery and copy, the use of silk-screening, and attached medallions.  While there are endless methods to choosing a design approach, it is most important to work with an experienced team to reach your ultimate objective.  Global Package specializes in the entire process, from sketch to delivery.

Customized wine and spirits bottles offer the opportunity to create your own unique statement. While customization can seem complex, costly, and daunting, be assured that the experienced professionals at Global Package will make the process work seamlessly to the  benefit of your brand.  We facilitate every stage of the process, including quoting, design, bottle supply or manufacture, quality control, decoration, and timely supply of finished products at affordable prices.

3. Gift box packaging

Wine is frequently given as a present. Here’s your chance to go all out by giving your wine brand a unique package that helps it stand out from other wines. Unique gift box packaging can immediately add a touch of “high-end” to the wine bottles.

With gift packaging, you can be endlessly creative by using pop-ups, artwork, and other elements to stand out.

4. Bag-in-bottle packaging

Wine lovers who desire all the benefits of using more eco-friendly materials but still prefer the traditional wine bottle have the option of using bags-in-bottles. These interesting bottles are as green as they are when they come from production. They are made of recycled paperboard that has been fused with water-based adhesive and shaped into a more traditional wine bottle form using heat.

The benefits are huge: They are five times lighter than traditional glass bottles and have a 12-month shelf life. They are also humidity, stain, and break-resistant. They can also be handily packed in a cardboard box with a handle.

5. Single-serve glass bottles

Although modern packaging solutions have their uses, glass remains the preferred choice, particularly when bottling expensive wines. Although the norm is 750mL bottles, smaller wine bottle sizes have started to appear on the market due to demand.

Smaller wine bottles appeal to an increasingly growing audience of consumers who are more conscientious about their alcohol intake. Also known as miniatures, they are typically 200mL or less. Additionally, there are “half bottles” that contain about 375mL. The packaging of these wine bottles reduces waste and the amount of leftover wine.

Types of Wine Bottle Shape

Choosing a product from a selection of different wine bottles usually takes the buyer about 7 seconds. So, you will naturally want to bring your A-game to reward consumer curiosity, and even make wine connoisseurs fall in love with your wine at first sight.

Wine bottles now come in a large variety of shapes, colors, and sizes, and to some more knowledgeable drinkers can bring some insight as to what’s inside. Some wines, such as sparkling wine, can be distinguished simply by their distinctive shapes and closures.

Today, the most popular wine bottle shapes are:

6. The Bordeaux Bottle

When you think of a standard wine bottle, you’re probably thinking of the Bordeaux bottle shape.

The modern Bordeaux wine bottle shape is stocky with broad shoulders, and is usually used to bottle heavier reds, like Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The modern bottle shape, designed for export and aging, protects the wine from bumpy overseas journeys, while the prominent shoulder is thought to help catch the sediment that forms when a wine ages. 

This sediment is perfectly natural, but it’s not nice having a mouthful of it. If these wines were in a bottle with a tapered shoulder (like Burgundy bottles–-coming up later), this sediment would go straight into the decanter, into your glass if not decanting, or straight into your mouth.

This is why these wines are supposed to rest in a cellar (it lets the sediment settle on one side of the bottle) and then be poured with that side down—it helps it settle out of the wine rather than being mixed in again.

Find wine bottles in many styles including Bordeaux bottles here

7. The Burgundy Bottle

The late 18th century saw the introduction of the Burgundy bottle, with its distinctive, gradual curve starting from its neck resulting in the broader body at the base that sets it apart from other wine bottle variants. 

It is widely assumed that the shape of this bottle was due to how simple it was for glassblowers of the time to craft it. However, it is also theorized that the different bottle shapes enabled the historical drinker to easily distinguish the type of wine inside the bottle. To add to this, due to widespread illiteracy and the time they were first developed, labels would have been of little use in the identification of the wine. 

It is posited that the distinctive shapes emerged as a way to tell apart one region’s wine from another, and then stayed that way due to the convention of their use.

This bottle is usually heavily associated with both red and white Burgundy sparkling wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wine grapes. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are usually also packed in Burgundy bottles.

Find wine bottles in many styles including Burgundy bottles here

8. The Hock Bottle

Clear 750mL Hock Riesling Bottle

Commonly referred to as Hock bottle, Riesling bottle or Riesling Hock, but in some minor variations to the shape, also goes by Alsace/Moselle bottle. In the 19th century, wine producers usually transported Bordeaux and Burgundy bottles to Britain over the English Channel. However, the bottles needed to be stronger to prevent breaking during turbulent situations at sea. A sturdier bottle was made to answer this situation: the Hock bottle.

Compared to bottles of Burgundy and Bordeaux, this one is sleeker, slimmer, and a tad taller. The Hock bottle was intended for Riesling, as evidenced by the fact it is sometimes called a Riesling bottle or Riesling Hock, but it today also holds other wines, possibly something like Gewürztraminer, a fragrant, off-dry white wine that has notes of lychees.
Find wine bottles in many styles including Hock bottles here

Global Package Stocks Trending Glass Packaging Brands

Elegant Light Line™

The Elegant Light Line features a sophisticated and confident design with accentuated curves and graceful neck styling that give the bottles a classic and timeless style. Influenced by the European style of bottle-making, our Elegant Light Line wine bottles will suit any wine.

Local Stock Bottles

Global Package understands the beauty of simplicity. We provide easy access to an attractive range of stock bottles for wine, spirits, and other products with ample local stock maintained in our California, Oregon, and North Carolina warehouses, giving you an effective, straightforward, and rapid route to market for your brand. 

International Sourcing

These bottles, which feature high-quality designs and an ultra-premium presentation, are produced by factories exclusively in Europe. They are available in a range of glass colors and shapes, with unique bottle finishes.

Specialty Sommelier

Our Sommelier specialty bottles are of a different class of wine bottle. These bottles feature an anti-drip ring around the mouth, preventing drips when pouring the wine. These glass bottles are heavier than other options, thus providing a high-end, premium feel.

Specialty Wild Glass

If you need your wine brand to balance responsibility and care for the environment with the desire to run wild and free, this is the wine bottle for you. Made with recycled glass and a sustainable manufacturing process, our Wild Glass specialty bottles feature natural imperfections that make them unique and beautiful.

Specialty Doble Alto

Our Doble Alto specialty bottles are a luxurious execution of aesthetic and style. The bottles have a double base, which gives them an expensive and deluxe look. The wine bottles are also available in a range of finishes, including color gradation, magnifying glass effect, and coating at the bottom.

Custom Wine Bottles

In addition to all of the aforementioned categories, we also supply customized wine bottles based on your specific instructions and requirements. To truly integrate your packaging into your brand aesthetic, we can customize wine bottles into any shape or design you choose. Our knowledgeable team of experts are on hand to guide you through the whole process of creating the perfect custom wine bottle—from design through to production.

Global Package’s Sustainability Efforts in Glass Packaging

Global Package LLC has a long history of working with glass manufacturing partners around the world who have led efforts in sustainability.

Glass weight is a top consideration when it comes to shipping, storing, and displaying wine bottles. Our Elegant Light™ bottles are made with less glass and, thus, are lighter weight, resulting in considerable savings in transportation costs. In fact, they are up to 20% less expensive to ship than standard bottles.

On the manufacturing front, it takes 1.8 tons of raw material to produce one ton of glass. Cullet, which is recycled glass, can be added in varying amounts to decrease these raw materials. Recycled cullet is critical to reduce raw material use, pollutants, and even transportation costs.

Several years ago, Global Package introduced to the US market Wild Glass™, an innovative line of bottles from Spain’s Estal. These bottles are not only works of art, they are made of almost 100% cullet recycled glass, thus making them the most sustainable bottles on the market.

Every Wild Glass™ bottle is unique, since the manufacturing process allows bubbles, orange peel, coloring line imperfections, and color variations to remain. The resulting aesthetic is an organic design similar to hand blown glass, but with all the efficiencies of automatic glass production. Because these cosmetic imperfections are not only acceptable but desirable, fewer bottles are rejected, reducing the discard rate from 25% to 15% at the factory.

Why choose Global Package?

At Global Package, we are committed to helping you choose the best packaging for your wine brand. We offer outstanding and innovative packaging solutions for your winery, ensuring your product is packaged the way you want it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Innovative Ways to Improve Your Wine Packaging Game

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Why is wine packaging important?

There are many different practical functions of wine packaging. First and foremost, it protects the wine and acts as a vessel to transport your wine from the winery to the customer. You want to ensure that your wine is of good quality and that the packaging facilitates optimal storage.

Wine packaging also acts as a quality cue for consumers. You want the consumer’s eye and hand to be drawn to the bottle on the shelf, choosing your bottle over your competitors. “Shelf appeal” is one of the most important considerations when choosing packaging for your next project.

5 Ways to Improve Your Wine Packaging

1. Different sized wine bottles

You are most likely familiar with the standard 750mL wine bottle. They are excellent for dinner parties and social gatherings where they can be shared and enjoyed with your friends and family.

However, our society is drinking less – 18% less than in 2004. With many people choosing to drink less, there is a significant market opportunity to bottle your product into a variety of bottle sizes, including a smaller volume vessel and appeal to a new audience. Your consumers can enjoy a glass or two of wine without feeling pressured to open a whole standard sized bottle, which not only keeps the wine fresh, but also encourages consumers to be mindful of their portion sizes. At Global Package, we offer the increasingly popular  375mL and 500mL bottles in a number of our ranges, allowing you to trial smaller wine bottle sizes.

 

Innovative smaller sized wine bottles for consumers who are drinking less

BG Tradition 375ml Screw Cap

Different sized innovative wine containers to improve packaging

BD Cubana Bordeaux 500ml

2. Alternative containers

When it comes to wine packaging, glass bottles are by far the most common choice. Glass bottles have many benefits, and there is a reason winemakers are continuously choosing glass packaging. It protects the quality of the wine, is sustainable, and enhances the drinking experience.

However, this is not to say that other forms of packaging should be overlooked. For example, some wineries are tapping into canned wine, boxed wine, cartons, and more.

There are many benefits to boxed wine, so there is no surprise that it is a growing trend in the industry. There are environmental benefits to it, as it is a lower energy production than glass. The airtight seal also means that the wine lasts longer than a glass bottle once it is opened, meaning there is no rush to finish it, however it must be said that there is something exceedingly appealing about glass wine bottles.

3. Technology driven labels

There are many ways your brand could leverage the digital age in its wine packaging. It is an innovative and effective way to engage your target audience and improve the appeal of your packaging. <
Using a QR code on the label, you can give your brand an opportunity to inform your customers about the wine, making them more engaged and loyal to your brand. You can present this information in many different and creative ways – it is up to you!

There are other innovative ways to incorporate technology into your labels through near field communication (NFC), augmented reality (AR), and much more recently non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

4. Eco-friendly packaging 

Environmentally-conscious customers prefer brands that are mindful about the environmental impact of their packaging and branding activities. While heavy glass bottles have a luxury appeal to them, there is a trend towards more sustainable packaging. Consumers are increasingly conscious about the carbon footprint and the high energy production of glass and making decisions at the store based on these values. More environmentally responsible wine products can provide your brand with a competitive edge. 

Our Specialty Wild Glass range is made from recycled glass (post consumer recycled glass) and has a more sustainable manufacturing process. It allows you and your brand to still have the luxury and premium quality cues from a glass bottle, with a sustainable edge.

 

Innovation Wild Glass from Global Package sustainably produced eco-friendly wine bottles with less environmental impact

5. Highly presentable packaging

Creative packaging designs further contribute to its shelf appeal. Wine labels communicate many things about the wine to its prospective customers – including the variety, the brand, the location, and so much more. A label communicates a brand story, and it is important to have packaging that resonates with the consumer, who increasingly are becoming more interested, knowledgeable and social with their wine experiences.

Why choose Global Package?

At Global Package, we are committed to helping you choose the best packaging for your wine brand. We offer outstanding and innovative packaging solutions for your winery, ensuring your product is packaged the way you want it.

 

A picture of a half full wine glass with a wine bottle beside it over a table with a white sheet on a garden

How Glass Bottle Packaging Tactics Can Grow Your Wine Brand

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Why Is Glass Bottle Packaging Important?

Wine can be packaged in a variety of ways; however, consumers continue to prefer the conventional glass bottle packaging format, which is by far the most popular. Although glass bottle packaging has less flexibility in its ability to capture attention than labels , it can still convey a lot of information to the consumer and increase brand standout in-store.

Purchasing wine is seen as having a high level of risk. People don’t want to risk purchasing wines that result in poor wine quality, financial risk, or social embarrassment. Therefore,  consumers search for information when browsing in-store to lower risk: price, varietal, region, brand/winery, or in-store recommendation.

The majority of people who aren’t particularly interested in wine conduct their informational searching in-store and rely primarily on visual cues. A customer is more likely to buy wine if they recognise the brand name or have already tried it. Factors like brand name, packaging, grape variety, and price are all taken into consideration.

The combination of packaging elements conveys a message. The customer then processes this information, developing their feelings towards it and inferring its meaning; how the packaging performs under this scrutiny is crucial in this situation.

The design and color of the imagery used on wine labels can differ significantly depending on price points and have a big impact on a confused customer in-store.

For instance, cheaper wines typically use illustrative and natural imagery, whereas more expensive wines rely solely on typographic and decorative labels. To further emphasize the idea of a premium brand, high-end wines frequently use the colors black and navy.

White wines often tend to use golden colors, though premium brands also tend to utilize that color scheme primarily. In contrast, lower-priced white wines will use more colors in the spectrum, tending to use bold colors quite frequently, perhaps to appeal to younger women. The treatment and placement of type can also affect how the consumer reacts to the wine.

Can’t I Just Use Whatever Glass Bottle Packaging For My Wine Brand?

Consider the most recognizable wine brands available today. Some of them have histories of a century or longer, such as the well-known Familia Torres with 150 years of winemaking experience.

Obviously, that kind of experience and popularity is pretty hard to beat. This is why, for up-and-coming wine brands, unique packaging, wine bottle design, and labeling are crucial to achieving the most brand standout for your retail wine brand when on shelf. It is critical to the success of the product.

By taking the time to understand what is important to your target audience, and combining that with current trends in wine packaging, you can position your wine brand to outcompete your competitors and establish a strong foothold in the wine industry.

This blog will cover different glass bottle packaging strategies that can help your wine business thrive in a crowded market, as well as emerging wine packaging trends for your consideration.

Positioning Wine Brands for Success: The 3 Deciding Factors

When 19 Crimes started to appear in stores, nobody anticipated that it would become the popular wine brand that it is today. While the wine’s bold, yet velvety, flavor keeps drinkers satisfied and interested, it is the precisely engineered storytelling of its packaging that really gives it a unique personality.

The most well-known wine brands have a story or a sentiment that drives them off the shelves into people’s hands, and it all starts with the glass bottles and their accompanying components. And just like other successful wine brands, you need a packaging strategy.

Take a look at the three practices for packaging that can revitalize your wine brand and make it stand out from the competition.

1. Unique Labeling

Naturally, you want your wine brand to stand out from your competitors and influence the typical consumer to choose your bottle from the store. That’s obviously easier said than done because there are literally thousands of wine bottles to choose from, and many consumers frequently decide which bottle to pick in only a few seconds; that’s where quality wine labels come in.

A label is the “face” of every wine bottle packaging and serves as more than just a straightforward piece of information. In fact, in supermarkets, it is frequently the only factor on which purchasers base their choice.

Take a look at the most prominent wine brands; one thing they all have in common is a unique label that stands out.

Your label is crucial in creating positive brand connotations, especially if your wine brand is new or unfamiliar to the consumer. Your wine brand’s vibe can be communicated by using the right fonts, colors, and images on the label.

Also, keep in mind the caliber of the label paper you use. There’s a high probability that your wine will eventually wind up in iced wine boxes if it’s best served chilled. As such, an inferior paper will crease or curl, which undermines the “luxury” impression you are trying to portray for a wine customer who has just spent $20 on a bottle, for example.

2. Bottles and Corks That Stand out

Choosing the size, shape, and color of your bottle is the first step in cementing the brand perception of your wine. After that, you can then create the label. This guarantees that every time a label is applied, it will fit perfectly.

A unique bottle has many benefits. For one, many customers have unintentional associations with bottles and closures, much like they do with labels. A heavier bottle is considered to be more premium in terms of weight, and vice versa. Yet, due to shifting trends towards eco-friendly packaging solutions, lighter glass has gained elevated status.

Worldwide, glass manufacturing produces at least 86 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, so the reduction in the amount of glass produced and the reduced shipping weights contribute to lowering the carbon footprint associated with bottling wine. More on eco-friendly packaging later on.

When it comes to champagne bottles, using natural corks typically signifies premium quality wine. On the other hand, screw caps are associated with young, fruity, or fresh wines.

Wines that have matured in oak are excellent candidates for synthetic corks.

3. Unique Brand Story

Effective storytelling helps establish an emotional connection that distinguishes one brand from another. It’s a principle that all effective marketing strategies must follow. Make the customer feel as though joining your narrative will improve their quality of life, and they will gladly buy from you.

Why did 19 Crimes garner so much attention and positive press even though it seemed to do everything wrong? It didn’t do anything wrong at all; a great, compelling brand story was composed for it that brings the brand to life.

The characters on the 19 Crimes labels were actually “talking” through augmented reality, telling the story of convicts sent to serve sentences in 19th-century Australian prisons, but who would want to associate with an ex-convict-portraying wine?

Since the label opens a door to a narrative unrelated to wineries, it naturally piques the curiosity of adventurous wine lovers. By breaking from the norm of wine packaging design in a stroke of marketing genius, 19 Crimes was able to increase sales by about 500% in the first 18 months. The brand positioning may seem to you to carry negative connotations, but don’t forget that people love novel ideas, so get innovating!

Every brand, including yours, wants to have this effect while it is on the shelves of a story, so you need to come up with your own unique story—and don’t be afraid to break a few rules while you’re at it.

3 Fantastic Wine Packaging Trends to Help Make a Statement

If you really want to stand out from the crowd, consider adopting one (or a combination of) the following wine packaging trends:

1. Use Unique Bottle Designs

One sure way to blend in is to use the regular bottle designs in the bottling line. You don’t want that. Packaging your wines in uniquely designed bottles makes them stand out immediately because the majority of wines are stored in conventional bottles.

For example, your wines will stand out from the competition when packaged in a whimsically curved or tall, angular container, but the bottom line is to let your wine bottles corroborate your wine brand’s unique story and reflect the essence of the narrative.use

2.  Eco-Friendly Packaging

People are becoming more environmentally conscious, which means they are more interested in greener solutions to everyday needs, so we’ve developed eco-friendly products to fit this need. Besides, it’s in all our best interest to save the world as we know it, so why not pack your wine using more environmentally friendly packaging options?

The most common examples of this trend are boxed wines, which have plastic internal liners and recyclable cardboard exterior shells.

3. High-Tech Integration

In today’s technology-driven world, you can use a QR code in the label design of your brand to appeal to a tech-savvy audience. Ingredient list, bottling date, expiration date, and all sorts of intriguing information can all be accessed via a simple QR code.

In fact, 19 Crimes uses augmented reality to tell the 19 unique stories of the ex-convicts depicted on all their bottles, presenting a novelty to wine lovers and making it more fun to drink and share with friends.

 

 

The A–Z of Wine Glass Bottle Packaging

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One crucial step in winemaking is the process of selecting an appropriate glass bottle. Why? Because a wine’s identity is greatly influenced by its glass bottle.

Often, the content of the bottle takes center stage in conversations and articles rather than the bottle itself. However, our attention today will be on elevating your wine packaging, specifically how wine bottles are packaged for distribution.

In the last few years, wine packaging has experienced a radical shift. The invention of cans, tetra packs, and other packaging materials and innovations have changed the way producers think about wine packaging.

However, glass bottles remain the traditional and preferred method for wine packaging. A typical wine bottle is made of glass and is available in a variety of sizes and forms. However, most wines are commonly packaged in 750 mL glass bottles.

Glass bottles have been used for hundreds of years for wine packaging and have proven to be quite beneficial. However, this has not always been so, as before this time, other materials were used for wine packaging.

The History of Wine Storage and the Transition to Glass Bottle Packaging

According to records of the time, the most prevalent means of holding and transporting wine were wineskins. Most of the evidence for the use of wineskins comes from Ancient Greece (12th-9th century BC) and from the New Testament in the Bible. According to these sources, wine was transferred straight from the fermentation into an old wineskin to be taken home. Preferred by travelers for its lightness, its popularity, and the portability it brings to wine consumption, is undeniable.

Larger quantities of wine, on the other hand, required more permanent storage with temperature control, which was critical to preserving the wine’s flavor. Thus, earthenware pottery was utilized to ferment, store, and transport wine.

These large earthenware jars were used above ground to transport large volumes of wine, but they were also partially buried underground to control temperature and preserve the product without the presence of electricity.

The Kvevri – Wine Packaging Using Clay

A Qvevri is a large, beeswax-coated earthenware vessel, used by ancient Georgians as early as 6,000 BC. They were used in every stage of wine production, from grape crushing to aging. The qvevris could hold thousands of liters of liquid, depending on their size.

They were filled with unfermented grapes from the area. The qvevri is subsequently buried, the grapes are crushed, stems and all, and primary fermentation begins. Then it is sealed with a large stone to form an airtight seal.

The qvevri is then left for up to two years, enabling the wine to experience malolactic fermentation and maturation. The result is an extremely tannic, earthenware-aged wine.

The Amphora – The Standard in Clay Vessels For Packaging Wine

Amphorae, wax-lined (pine and beeswax) pottery vessels, were made by the Egyptians and were gradually adopted by nearly all wine-drinking and wine-producing civilizations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia, including Ancient Greece and Rome, where they were most prevalent and widely used. They were easy to produce and, more importantly, transport. Their circular design, with tapering bottom, two handles, and a long, slender neck, fulfilled four functions:

●     The surface area of wine exposed to oxygen was reduced by the slender neck.

●     The tapered bottom promoted the accumulation of sediment and allowed the amphora to be buried with more ease when long-term storage was required.

●     They were able to load numerous into ships

●     The handles made carrying them easier

When you look at an amphora, you can find parallels between it and current wine bottles, from the long neck that protects the wine from air, to the sediment that collects on the bottom of bottles. Some societies adorned their vessels ornately, while others were strictly functional, leaving them ‘clean-skinned.’

For a long time, it was considered that amphorae were the primary means of transporting wine across considerable distances throughout the Roman Empire. Recent discoveries of shipwrecks in the Mediterranean have revealed that wine was frequently transported in a bigger container known as a dolium.

The Greeks termed these large clay jars pithoi, while the Romans called them dolium. In order to make their containers airtight and watertight, the Romans used heated resin known as “pitch” to line the dolia and plaster to patch them where needed.

The Shift To Oak Barrels For Storing and Transporting Wine

The Roman Empire conquered numerous cultures, embracing technologies such as the wooden barrel. While the Romans were aware that other cultures used palm wood barrels to transport wine, amphorae (and dolia) were the preferred mode of transport at the time.

The military and merchants swiftly replaced amphorae with wooden barrels. Wooden barrels were stronger than clay barrels, weighed significantly less, and could be rolled on their side.

Moreover, there were plenty of trees in Europe, and unlike palm trees, woods like fir and oak bent very easily, so the stave production for barrels was easier. The adoption of barrels was quick; by the third century AD, the transition to storing and transporting wine in wooden barrels was nearly complete, thereby ending clay’s 5,500-year reign.

The wood, on the other hand, did not provide an airtight seal, and the wine spoiled quickly in the wooden casks. Winemakers were not properly bunging or topping off their barrels since they didn’t understand why the wine was spoiling, and people simply proceeded to consume increasingly younger wines.

The Introduction of Glass Bottle Packaging For Wine

After centuries of dominance by the wooden cask and the resulting need to drink wines quickly before they turned to vinegar, the search began for an alternate vessel. Although the bottle had already existed, it was used primarily as a midpoint to get the wine from the barrel to the cup. Corks were not well-fitted as they were simply meant to keep bugs and dust out, not to create an airtight seal.

Henry Purefoy discovered that when the cork was not submerged in liquid, it shrank due to dryness and spoiled the wine. When the bottle was laid on its side and the cork submerged in the wine, it preserved the wine with a capability similar to that of an amphora. From a short, stout bottle in the 1740s to an elongated bottle like we have today, the shape gradually became more cylindrical to facilitate easy disposal.

A range of glass bottle types from year 1708 to year 1812

In today’s world, bottles are recognized as the most preferred method of wine packaging. Why? because the rate of chemical interaction with glass is zero. Wine bottled in glass gets to retain its strength, aroma, flavor, and quality as a whole.

Glass bottles are not associated with any negative impact on health, which makes them a safer option. Additionally, they improve the overall drinking experience and add aesthetic appeal.

Wine Bottle Designs

Although there isn’t a set rule linked to wine bottle shapes, a few trends throughout history suggest there might be a connection between a wine bottle shape and the type and location of the grape used.

For instance, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines tend to come in short, classic, or fat, Burgundy-shaped bottles. Other wine producers in Portugal, Italy, Spain, and Germany tend to follow the tradition of their local areas by choosing bottle shapes most appropriate for their wines.

Additionally, the wine manufacturers want to make their product packaging as distinctive as possible, which explains why you will find one bottle that is tall and skinny, while another is short and squat. Sometimes these alterations, including to the punt, are done to allow the manufacturer to use more or less glass as needed, and to adjust bottle profile and heights to accommodate label design, shipping requirement, and budget.

For example, Chardonnays are bottled in slope-shouldered Burgundies while Cabernets are packaged in squarer-shouldered Bordeaux bottles. Generally, bottles with thick walls and a wide-pronounced punt with a sloping shoulder are associated with sparkling wines and Champagne. High-shouldered bottles with pronounced punts are used for Port, Sherry, and Bordeaux varieties. These bottles come with a bulbous neck, which serves the purpose of collecting residue.

Certain types of wines, like Burgundy and Rhône varieties, are packaged in tall bottles with sloping shoulders and a smaller punt. With the wine market being quite vast in size, it isn’t a surprise to find new wineries adopting similar bottling styles.

Preparing Glass Bottles for Wine Packaging

There are several processes involved in the bottling of wine. The first step is preparing the bottles. Wine bottles can be new or recycled. Cleaning is important regardless of the type, which is why de-labelling and cleaning can often be accomplished by soaking bottles in a washing solution.

Additionally, clear glass bottles are not recommended for wine packaging due to exposure to sunlight. Direct sunlight can discolor the content of the bottle, which is why, unless you are certain that the bottle will not come into direct contact with sunlight, it is best to go for a colored bottle for wines that are meant to be stored for longer periods of time.

Oxygen can dissolve into the wine during the bottling process, which is why one of the goals when filling is to prevent oxidation. This could affect the wine composition, shelf life, and consumer acceptance, which is why the wine bottling process is conducted to promote the dissolution of oxygen in the wines.

It is best to cork the bottle immediately after filling it and give it a final water rinse on the outside to remove any drops of wine. After filling, the wine bottles are left upright for three to five days, as this allows the pressure inside to equalize back to normal. Once these days elapse, the bottles are then stored on their sides or upside down in the coolness of a cellar.

Quality Glass Bottle Packaging For Wine

Due to the importance of bottles in the wine industry, without a doubt, glass wine bottles will not be replaced in a very long time. This is because glass represents a premium image for wine—for instance, Champagne bottles. Utilizing glass for your beer, wine, or spirits will result in a more aesthetically pleasing experience for the consumer, and increase brand awareness.

Instead of being replaced, this packaging material will evolve with time, offering wine manufacturers several more creative opportunities.

Just like the content inside, the packaging and appearance of a wine bottle play an important role in a consumer’s drinking experience, which is why Global Package comes to mind when it comes to getting some of the best glass wine bottles, designed to give your brand a distinctive look. When it comes to wine bottles, there are no set rules; you are allowed to be as creative as you choose, as long as the results suit your brand’s needs.

 

Enticing Millennials: Global Package Has Answers By Erica Harrop, CEO Global Package

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In an Interesting recent article in the New York Times, entitled “The Wine Business Sees a Problem: Millennials Aren’t Drinking Enough,” author Eric Asimov cites the report “State of the US Wine Industry” by Rob McMillan, industry analyst and executive VP of Silicon Valley Bank:

“ … aging baby boomers — currently the prime market for wine — are nearing retirement age, the time of life when consumerism typically declines. Millennials, the generation that began to come of age after the turn of the century, have given no indication that they are poised to step in. They buy much less wine than boomers, and the wine industry has not done enough to entice them to become regular consumers.”

While it’s a concern that has troubled the industry for decades, few wineries (or suppliers) appear to be addressing the problem. As McMillan puts it,

” In prior reports, we noted that the falling interest in wine among younger consumers, coupled with the encroaching retirement and decreasing wine consumption of baby boomers, poses a primary threat to the business …that issue has yet to be addressed or solved, and the negative consequences are increasingly evident.”

So how do we tackle this? Let’s start with who these buyers are and what motivates them to purchase wine? Here’s McMillan again:

“Millennials grew up in a world that has been far more encouraging of connoisseurship than when boomers were young. Social media has given everybody the opportunity to exercise their critical voices, for better or worse. Millennials are a more discerning generation, at a younger age, than baby boomers were … (however) they have less disposal income.”

In addition, McMillian makes the point that this demographic is a much more diverse population: ““While only 28 percent of the boomer population is nonwhite, 45 percent of the millennial population — and almost half of Gen Z — is nonwhite.” It remains sad fact that today, even after recent movements toward racial justice, minority-owned wineries are still few and far between.

Finally, in McMillan’s report he points out that “millennial consumers are more concerned with social justice and with health and environmental issues, including climate change …A brand’s social values are increasingly connected to a consumer’s decision to purchase particular products, including wine,”

All of these trends have led Global Package to establish strong international partnerships with the wine and spirits industry’s most progressive and innovative companies. We have been at the forefront of working with leading European glass manufacturers to develop revolutionary and sustainable new designs.

A good example is our long-time partner, Estal, and its Sommelier Mouth (SM) bottles. This line includes the Essentia Burgundy, the Bordeaux, and the unique flute Espiga bottles, all of which are available in Flint and Antique and in both short and long tops. These bottles are revolutionary in their design, which includes the anti-drip barrier and groove guides to facilitate a clean, straight cut of the capsule. Production of the Sommelier bottles also has a reduced carbon footprint.

Also on the ecological front, which attracts Millennials concerned with climate change, we introduced a couple of years ago Estal’s gorgeous and environmentally-friendly Wild Glass™ line of bottles to an enthusiastic US market. These bottles are 100% sustainable “real cycled” glass bottles that are one-of-a-kind, since slight imperfections in the natural formation of the glass are allowed to remain, while retaining all the manufacturing positives of automated glass, much like organic handmade art. Estal’s process also doesn’t discard bottles with cosmetic defects, which reduces the discard rate from 25% to 15%.

Finally, Global Package offers the full complement of Elegant Light™ bottles, in classical shapes and colors. Importantly, they are lighter weight, resulting in more economical and ecological shipping.

We invite you to contact us. Our entire sales staff, on both East and West coasts, are available to answer your questions and advise on the best glass solution for your winery to meet the Millennial challenge.

Global Package, located in the Napa Valley, is experienced in supplying high-end wine and spirits glass bottles to North American markets. With a comprehensive off-the-shelf portfolio, and the opportunity for customization and decoration, Global Package can assist your brand with the most appropriate solution whatever your budget or expectations. From glass bottles, bottle decorations, pewter labels, to bar top closures and corks, Global Package can assist with your project. Start your packaging journey today by calling +1 707 224-567 or emailing info@globalpackage.net.

 

Crafting Unique and Sustainable Bottles With Erica Harrop of Global Package

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The podcast Legends behind the Craft, hosted by Drew Hendricks, delves into the world of craft beverages. Drew interviews top leaders in the wine and craft beverage industry. Drew is the president of Barrels Ahead, a marketing agency specializing in Web Design, SEO, and PPC within the wine and craft spirits industry. 

This week’s episode features Global Package LLC President and CEO Erica Harrop, to find out more about the bottle-making process. Her expertise is invaluable as they cover topics such as sourcing, the evolution of the industry, and how Global Package customizes their bottles. They also dive into “wild glass” and what it means for sustainability in the world of glassmaking, and designing environmentally-friendly glass and packaging. 

You will also learn how Erica transitioned from winemaking to glass, what inspires her, and how Global Package is set apart from the rest of the industry. 

You can listen to the podcast here.