New World Winemaker Blog

I was absolutely horrified when I saw the new Backsberg “Tread Lightly” in a supermarket recently. I mean we’re still trying to get our heads around cork versus screw cap, now the wine industry is throwing another curve ball at us: Polyethylene terephthalate aka PET bottles. Or just call it plastic if you prefer. Why on earth would they use plastic bottles and what are the consequences for wine quality?
This is a tricky one, because it seems like the main drive behind the new packaging is that plastic bottles are more environmentally friendly than their glass counterparts. The first advantage of PET bottles is that a plastic bottle weighs only 50g compared to an average glass bottle which weighs about 400g.

Secondly, transport seems to be more effective. As the bottles are smaller, you can stack an extra 36% in a container when you export. This means more effective transport, less fuel and less carbon emission.

Thirdly, PET bottles are more robust, as plastic is less likely to break when man-handled. This makes it ideal for an outdoor lifestyle that involves picnics, rafting, camping and hiking.

Lastly, it is actually more environmentally friendly to manufacture and recycle plastic bottles. I know this is a difficult one to get your head around. I always thought that plastic was the original Prime Evil, polluting oceans and hindering recycling. It seems like glass is even worse, whether you’re talking manufacturing or recycling. “Reports in the public domain record reductions in CO₂ emissions from as low as 29% to as high as 52% when using PET as opposed to glass, and energy consumption in the manufacture and supply chain is reduced by 40 to 50%”.

So there you have it: plastic bottles are more eco-friendly and they can be recycled to produce things like polar fleece. Which means you can drink a bottle of wine and then recycle it to knit a jersey. 

Next question: What are the implications from a wine quality point of view?

The biggest criticism against PET is oxygen permeability.  Plastic is not particularly good at keeping oxygen out, which means the wine will oxidise a lot quicker in PET bottles, limiting the lifespan of wines in plastic. It seems like Mondi, the leading supplier of PET bottles in South Africa, has taken extra care of this, trying to build in a special barrier to protect the wine. Unfortunately these “barriers” lose their effectiveness at higher temperatures, which is one of the reasons why it is inadvisable to ship PET bottles over long distances. This pretty much defies the “extra 36% in a container when you export” advantage, doesn’t it? Back to oxidation: The local manufacturers guarantee a shelf life of two years, while French researchers claim this figure is closer to six months. Given the fact that more than 90% of wines are consumed within 48 hours of purchase, does it really matter?

Another tricky point is the health issue. Rumour has it that certain dodgy chemicals with funny names like phthalates (try and pronounce that!) can be leached from plastics by alcohol and are dangerous to one’s health. Phthalates are endocrine disruptors; they can mess up hormone signalling. Very little is known about this matter and I suppose more research needs to be done before I can make wild allegations like this.

I am sure a lot of people will be sceptical about this change in the wine industry. But so were we when screw caps were introduced just over a decade ago, and now that is widely accepted. The twist is that everyone is carbon crazy at the moment: carbon footprint, carbon credits, etc. PET bottles are supported by the Waste Resources and Action Programme (WRAP), a government-sponsored initiative in the UK. Even though we are not at that point in South Africa, the principle is still the same and companies, big or small, are concerned about their impact on the environment.

So, I am sorry for traditionalists like myself but, even though the top end will stick to glass, it seems for supermarket convenience and an easy drinking lifestyle with a feel-good green halo, we will probably see more wine in plastic bottles in the near future.

Boela Gerber is the winemaker of Groot Constantia wine estate in South Africa. This blog was originally posted on www.conca.co.za.

This year saw many new technologies and changes take place in the world of winemaking, one such event that has had an impact on our shores is the use of PET soft bottle for 750 ml wine storage. Now alternative packaging for wine is no new trend, with glass itself being introduced in the 18^th century. But will this new technology be the future or a passing trend? I spoke to Simon Back, of Backsberg Estate who is the first South African producer to use the PET bottles. We discussed topics from the marketability of the bottle to the effects on the wine itself in the new Tread Lightly Range.

Simon and the team at Backsberg are very excited about this venture, and see it as the way forward in times were increasing emphasis is being placed on being environmentally friendly.

“The enjoyment of a great bottle of wine should never be at the cost of the environment”, says Backsberg proprietor, Michael Back. “Whether by measurable process or by intuitive approach, every step we take in producing our wines must be challenged. The packaging and transport of wine contributes significantly to our carbon footprint and therefore needs to be addressed.”

These bottles are not new to the market, but this is the first time they have made an appearance in the 750 ml form.  The potential advantages and disadvantages however are still to be seen.

Potential advantages:

Weight. A 750 ml glass bottle weighs around 400 g; the same size in PET weighs 54 g, one-eighth of the weight. This makes transport more efficient.

Robustness. PET bottles don’t break, which makes them safer and easier to transport.

Size. PET bottles are considerably smaller, so you get more of them in the same storage space during transport. Once again making it more efficient.

Recyclable. Although questions still remain as to the true recyclability of plastics.

At the core of the reasons behind adopting PET bottles is the environmental issue. By limiting the weight of the bottles, reductions in your carbon footprint are realised through savings in the transport chain. An example would be in the UK each year 1 billion bottles of wine are consumed; rough estimates state that by reducing the weight with the PET bottles around 90 000 tons of CO₂ would be saved annually. Now we in South Africa don’t consume 1 billion bottles of wine a year, but with an industry that relies heavily on land, air and sea freight for our goods, the savings could be worthy of the change.

Potential Disadvantages:

Wine quality. PET allows more oxygen ingress than glass, and thus the wine has a shorter shelf-life, losing freshness more quickly. This still waits to be proved.

Health implications. Whether or not there are problems related to keeping wine in plastic, is a controversial area. With no real answers as of yet.

Image. Plastics have an increasingly negative image in the eyes of consumers: convincing them that plastic is the environmentally friendly option will be difficult, and it will be hard to get away from the cheap ‘look’ that plastic bottles have.

With regards to the health implications, Simon had this to say:

”In this regard, I’ve seen some confusing statements and occasionally factual errors appear, even in respected publications. Suffice to say, that no harmful chemicals have been detected in measurable amounts from PET under any condition of use. The PET bottle has been cleared as safe for food and beverage contact by health and regulatory agencies around the world, including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Health Canada and the EU’s Food Safety Authority.”

The question is will PET replace glass? I feel it is too soon to tell, I do however feel that the product is more suited to lower end wines and I think that we won’t see the day were we will find premium wine products adopting the PET technology. The technology is still new so its advantages and disadvantages will only become apparent over time. Let’s keep an eye on Backsberg and see where this new technology takes them, and thanks for the time to chat Simon and good luck for the future of your tread lightly range.

Andy Roediger, in a wine tasting on New World wines today, mentioned; “Our skills are evolving. We are making better wines today than 10 years ago. Pinot noir from NZ has evolved in quality probably by 20% the last 4-5 yrs….” I agree with Andy. South Africa certainly came a long way. Its winemakers are travelling the world, getting exposure to all sorts of winemaking techniques, wine styles, grape varietals, cultures and markets. And the best catalyst probably, in driving us as South African winemakers to be the best we can be (gosh – I am sounding like USA military recruitment), is the fierce competition not only locally, but also internationally. With everything that has happened the past couple of years, from earth quakes to changing weather patterns, from the crash of the US economy to the rise of China (we have 3 shops now in the main street of my local town…), from Australia creating a strong “Brand Australia” to consumers growing tired of critter labels, we are experiencing the pressure to establish a strong “Brand South Africa” internationally.

By now you probably wondering what point I am trying to make. Well, here it is: I am growing tired of some of the international “benchmarks” of the South African wine category, simply because I wonder if there is any control about “what we show where, the message behind what we show, and sometimes even how we are trying to carry the message over”.

I’ll explain. I have just arrived back from the country under the rainbow (the one with the potential pot of gold and the saving grace of the wine industry…) – the USA. I spent two weeks walking the streets, calling on accounts with distributors. I took close to 600 pictures, amongst them a couple of pictures of hard working, successful South African brands such as Mulderbosch, Excelsior, Fairview and Jardin (yes – Jordan, but just like the Highlander, there can be only one and the USA has one…). I must add that I am extremely proud to be associated with these brands reflecting the potential of South Africa.

But unfortunately, besides the fact that South Africa is not a category in the USA like Australia or even a region like Rioja, I saw too many brands which are promoted by shelve talkers that say “the most awarded wine from South Africa” which is not only a lie, but definitely not a reflection of the potential of South Africa, nor what we have learned, nor our abilities or knowledge. It is not a reflection of our diversity, or the character of the environment, nor the message that we want to establish or the experience we have gained. And I am not only talking about shelve talkers, but I am also talking about brands from South Africa carrying the message that says “THIS is South Africa…” Felt to me the only message they reflect is one of a “quick buck to be made by being dishonest to consumers.”

I do not have an answer. I think it is a generic principle. One of sufficient control in what we produce, how we promote it, and what we use to promote it.

Bertus Fourie is a winemaker, turned Enology lecturer and creator of the Barista coffee Pinotage.