Boisset's Fog Mountain Introduces California Wine in a One-liter PET Bottle

Boisset made its big idea even bigger, moving from the traditional 750 ml size to an attention-grabbing one-liter format, opening the door to new opportunities and benefits to wine lovers, retailers and the hospitality industry.

15/06/09 When it comes to sustainable packaging, Boisset Family Estates continues to be an industry trailblazer. The Burgundy, France-based wine and spirits maker has recently begun U.S. distribution of Fog Mountain Merlot in a one-liter PET bottle, the first California wine in the larger sized, lightweight bottle featuring Constar's MonOxbar oxygen-scavenging technology.

Boisset's decision to introduce Fog Mountain Merlot in a one-liter PET bottle rather than a 750 ml PET bottle is based on consumer feedback. Because PET is significantly thinner than glass, 750 ml plastic bottles are smaller than their glass counterparts, creating the perception of containing less wine. So Boisset made its big idea even bigger, moving from the traditional 750 ml size to an attention-grabbing one-liter format, opening the door to new opportunities and benefits to wine lovers, retailers and the hospitality industry.

A one-liter Fog Mountain Merlot PET bottle contains 33 percent more wine than a standard 750 ml glass bottle even though the two bottles are similar in physical size. The additional volume equates to more servings—about seven in all—and greater value—it retails for about $12—per bottle. The lightweight plastic bottle, finished with a convenient screw closure, is portable and shatterproof, making it an attractive option for entertaining as well as for the hotel and restaurant trade. It also displays well on the shelf.

While size matters, the package's sustainability also earns high marks. The PET bottles have a smaller carbon footprint than comparable glass bottles and require less energy to produce, ship and recycle. After contents have been enjoyed, the bottles can be placed in curbside recycling bins and the reclaimed material used to make a host of new products such as packaging, sleeping bags, clothing, carpeting, and even tires.

“We are excited to add Fog Mountain to our leading portfolio of wines in innovative packaging,” says Jean-Charles Boisset, president of Boisset Family Estates. “We genuinely believe that it’s vital for all of us to consider the environmental impact of our wines, our businesses and our products, and to find solutions to reduce our impact while delivering the highest-quality and best value that consumers desire. Fog Mountain and the other wines that we bottle in PET are part of that solution.” Boisset adds that “We are genuinely thrilled at the positive reactions to the new Fog Mountain bottle from our partners in the distribution world. Many have called it the best PET wine bottle presentation that they have seen. We know we can rely on MonOxbar barrier technology to maintain the integrity of our wine."

Boisset has been a leader in introducing PET wine bottles to the wine market, from its Louis Bernard Bonus Passus Côte du Rhône—the first AOC wine in PET bottles—to the bold move to transport all of its 2008 Beaujolais Nouveau from its vineyards in France to the United States and other countries in lightweight PET bottles. Boisset Family Estates' Beaujolais Nouveau in PET won an AmeriStar Award for Beverage Packaging and was the only wine package recognized in the 2008 competition.

PET bottles made with MonOxbar, Constar's oxygen scavenging technology, are an optimum vessel to maintain the delicate flavor, aroma, and color of wine as active barrier materials prevent oxygen from permeating the package. The bottles, designed in the classic claret shape, are blow molded by Field Manufacturing from preforms supplied by Constar.

Constar Marketing Director Alex Fioravanti says wine makers around the world are embracing the company's high-barrier PET technology in increasing numbers and gives much of the credit to Boisset Family Estates for leading the way. "Jean-Charles Boisset had the vision to recognize the synergy between great wine, a great package, and a growing preference for more sustainable packaging. People are taking notice that you can enjoy fine wine in something other than glass and appreciate the convenience that lighter, shatterproof, re-closeable bottles provide."

Fioravanti adds, "By offering the flexibility of sourcing raw materials, preforms or fully finished bottles with our oxygen scavenging technology, Constar is making eco-friendly wine packaging available to companies anywhere in the world."

The new one liter PET bottles of Fog Mountain Merlot are available nationwide on-premise at JW Marriott hotels and off-premise at Total Wine stores, with additional restaurant, retail and hotel partners expected by mid-2009.