Month: July 2022

The Best Options and Methods for Modern Winery Packaging

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winery facility

By: Alyssa L. Ochs  

Many people view packaging as a functional and practical aspect of the wine business. Still, it is also an opportunity to get creative and help your wines stand out from the competition. These days, there are many different ways to package wine for consumption, especially if you’re looking to go eco-friendly, be innovative or uniquely build your brand.

  In this article, we are looking at the importance of modern wine packaging, as well as the most significant considerations to keep in mind and new ideas to possibly add to your current business strategy.

Types of Wine Packaging

  There are many different options for packaging wine, so many wineries choose a combination of methods to save money, entice customers or preserve the best quality. There are various sizes and shapes of wine bottles to consider, as well as wine barrels and wine closures, such as natural and synthetic corks, bar toppers and screwtops. Wineries use other packaging products, such as shrink wrap, Tetra Paks, Styrofoam, cartons, labels and pallets. Miscellaneous packaging supplies that wineries may need include tape, cushioning, newsprint and mailing tubes.

  Beyond these basics, there are bag-in-box wine packaging products, paper wine bottle bags, bottle carriers and sampler gift boxes as packaging options. Molded fiber shippers and case pack trays can accommodate different bottle sizes, shapes and quantities. Foam shippers come in stand-up, lay-down, and large format options, while airline totes are good six-bottle options. To provide customers with a unique and personalized experience, it may also be worth looking into custom-printed wine totes, custom wooded presentation boxes and custom printed bags with tissue paper.

Machinery Used to Package Wine

  In addition to all of these miscellaneous supplies useful for packaging wine, there are also machines available to help automate the process and increase efficiency. There are pros and cons to using automatic vs. manual means of packaging, but something to remember is that you may be able to either buy or lease packaging machinery based on your needs.

  Types of machines used for packaging are case sealer machines, palletizers, automatic stretch wrappers, conveyors, case erectors, sealers and inkjet printers that print directly onto boxes. When shopping for wine packaging machinery, it is also beneficial to choose suppliers with factory-trained technicians, service contracts and a full line of replacement parts for future repair needs.

  One company specializing in winery packaging is A-B-C Packaging Machine Corporation in Tarpon Springs, Florida. This company supplies packers, case sealers and palletizers for end-of-line wine packaging and has several options available to wineries.

  Bryan Sinicrope, the VP of marketing and integrator sales, told The Grapevine Magazine, “From our perspective as a secondary packaging machine supplier, we are seeing an increased interest in automation from wineries of all sizes. Traditionally it was difficult for smaller wineries to justify the capital equipment expenditures to upgrade, but the current emphasis on ergonomics and worker safety, combined with labor shortages, has changed this perspective. There are multiple options for upgrading end-of-line packaging, including robotics and semi-automatic machines that have a lower cost of entry.”

  Sinicrope also said that many wineries are looking for more flexibility in their packaging lines to serve new market segments.

  “We are having requests for machinery that easily accommodates different package styles, such as small bottles, cartons and cans, as well as multiple secondary packages, including display cases and trays, in addition to traditional packaging.”

  Sinicrope said that A-B-C Packaging stands out in the industry for wine packaging because its equipment ensures reliable performance and low maintenance, which reduces the cost of ownership. He also said that A-B-C’s machines have great flexibility and quick changeover and that the customized solutions they offer from the standard line of equipment keep costs down and minimize delivery time.

Product Recommendations and Highlights

  Sinicrope from A-B-C- Packaging told The Grapevine Magazine that for bottled wine, his company generally uses robotic and pick-and-place machines.

  “For pouch-packaged or cartoned wine, our robot packer provides maximum flexibility to pack into cases or trays, with a servo-powered product feed, gentle robotic packing and quick changeover at the operator station,” he said. “We also offer a semi-automatic carton packer for smaller operations that package wine in cartons, at speeds up to 10 cases per minute.”

  A-B-C Packaging offers case sealing machines for a range of speeds to seal the top case flaps with adhesive or tape. The company provides conventional low-level, robot and semi-automatic palletizers for palletizing based on a winery’s budget, available space, flexibility requirements, speed and personal preference.

  “Our low-level machines offer easy installation, and the floor-level control and maintenance keep operating costs low,” said Sinicrope. “A-B-C’s robot palletizers offer high flexibility to handle multiple product types with minimal hardware. Finally, our semi-automatic palletizers offer economy and flexibility for small wineries looking to upgrade.”

  A-B-C has been supplying end-of-line packaging to the winery industry for over 50 years and understands the importance of maintaining the primary package integrity because many consumers will not select a bottle with even minor label or seal damage.

  “Our decasers and depalletizers unload single-file bottles with minimum contact to eliminate potential damage that can cause failure on the bottling line or in distribution,” Sinicrope said. “Case erectors have exclusive features to ensure square cases for top performance at the packer. And all our packers are no-drop to ensure soft loading while protecting the labels and closures.”

  Another company specializing in this industry is Custom Wine Packaging, a husband and wife team who have been in the corrugated box and custom packaging industry for over 30 years. They shifted their focus toward serving wineries and vineyards in 2014, starting with their home state of Texas and then branching out to reach wine businesses all across the U.S.

  Garry Clark, the owner of Custom Wine Packaging, told The Grapevine Magazine, “We supply everything from shipping cartons to gift packaging and, of course, wine totes. The wine totes are commonly used for wine club pick-up or customer carry-out. These boxes usually display a winery’s logo, address, website, and other information.”

Packaging Considerations

  There are a lot of questions that winery owners must ask themselves before committing to a particular packaging strategy. For example, there are questions about how many units are needed, how many variations you would like, how packaging can be an extension of your brand and if you can implement any innovations.

  In terms of budget, wineries need to think about the upfront costs for design and products and potential future costs for breakage, additional fillers and other unforeseen needs. It may be beneficial to buy packaging products in bulk for production costs, storage and transportation handling. Also, wineries may benefit from getting professional artistic help with their packaging design if there isn’t a skilled person with extra time to commit on the staff.

  Clark from Custom Wine Packaging said, “Wine packing is super important for the wines to make it from point A to point B without breakage. The totes are, in my opinion, a traveling billboard seen by many people, especially at parties and events. A lot of information can be printed directly on the totes.”

  A consideration that Sinicrope from A-B-C Packaging pointed out was whether you choose to buy bottles in bulk or reshipper cases.

  “Bulk bottles are less expensive per unit, but you will need a much larger initial investment with a depalletizer, case erector and partition inserter,” Sinicrope said. “With reshipper cases, one necks-down decaser or necks-up unpacker can unload and single-file your bottles. Do the math and then decide what is best for your winery.”

  He also said that when looking at machines, consider how much automation you need.

  “It can be a costly mistake to buy machinery for projected speeds or sizes that you may never utilize,” Sinicrope said. “Better to make sure the machinery you buy suits your line now and offers a reasonable degree of flexibility.”

Innovations and Advice

  Both new and well-established wineries of all sizes understand how important wine packaging is for product preservation, brand awareness and positively differentiating a product. This can be accomplished with a custom logo, marketing slogan that resonates with customers or appearance that is classic, minimal or colorful. Many people choose a wine based on its packaging, so this is a great chance to show off your creativity with custom shapes, styles, themes and materials.

  Lately, there has been a lot of innovation in the wine packaging industry with everything from QR codes that link to wine information to double insulation to keep the wine cool without refrigeration. Recyclable bottle designs and other types of eco-friendly packaging are trending, as well as augmented reality wine labels connected to a smartphone app for enhanced engagement. New glass shapes and textures can make your products stand out and engage the senses, such as flat wine bottles that are compact, eco-friendly, unique and very shippable. Another eco-friendly idea for wine packaging is eliminating foil seals or replacing them with seals from renewable sources. Buying shippers with high recycled content and packing in tight-pack shippers to eliminate the need for case partitions can also help a winery be more environmentally conscious.

  Clark from Custom Wine Packaging said that his company developed a few solutions for shipping wine during the hot season, including cold pack shippers that have been a big hit. This product works by allowing the wine to pop the corks when it reaches a specific temperature.

  “We have also come out with this year and are about to introduce our new wine sleeve shipping box that uses a sleeve instead of a pulp tray,” Clark said. “Many of the smaller wineries don’t have a lot of storage space, and this new method will help in that area. The package is a bit smaller than the commonly used box with pulp trays, and it may be cheaper for shipping.”

  Clark shared, “We also have several types of gift boxes that hold a bottle of wine and a couple of wine glasses, which make great gift ideas. There is another gift box we offer that holds a wide variety of wine glasses, cheeses and whatever else the mind can run with.”

  Sinicrope from A-B-C Packaging advises wineries to define their packaging goals before talking to suppliers so that they can help you find the best solution for your winery.

  “You can learn from your potential suppliers, as they live packaging machinery every day,” Sinicrope said. “They may offer important insights that can really help you when designing your line layout, specifying your machines and getting the most out of your packaging automation.”

Portugal: Tip-to-Toe

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aerial view of Portugal

By: Tod Stewart

When it comes to wrapping art, history, culture and, perhaps most importantly to people like me, gastronomic and vinous excellence, into a (relatively speaking) small chunk of real estate, you can’t really beat what Portugal has to offer.

  I’ve had the extreme pleasure of touring the country tip-to-toe – including a stopover in the Azores – and if you are looking for a country that’s geographically diverse, visually stunning, and, well, extremely civilized, a visit to Portugal should be high on your “to-do” list.

  My Portuguese travel memories were rekindled just the other day when I took part in a virtual tasting of some of the wines of Quinta da Aveleda located in the Vinhos Verde region. If you’re going to travel Portugal’s many wine zones, this area in the northern Minho province is as good a place to start as any.

  Known for its ultra-drinkable, low-alcohol, slightly effervescent white wines that are essentially perfect with anything at any time, the wines of Vinhos Verde have a more serious side, one that Isabel Abreu e Lima, wine educator at Quinta da Aveleda, and Vitor Cardadeiro, owner of Reguengo de Melagaço, let me try first-hand.

  I still recall sitting on the patio of the Reguengo de Melagaço hotel, sipping one of the most exceptional aguardientes I’ve ever experienced. Across from the south bank of the Minho river, I took in the somewhat surreal sight of the woods of neighboring Spain’s Galicia region burning and lighting the night.

  Dinner saw me well out of harm’s way, enjoying the company of Reguengo’s genial owner, Vitor Cardadeiro. In Canada, we are still adjusting to the concept that the white wines of Vinho Verde can be “serious.” Light, spritzy fun, we are told. Try again. The wines of Reguengo de Melagaço are nothing but. Made from 100 percent Alvarinho, these are white wines to rival the world’s best. Spritzy and light? No way. If you’re more familiar with Spain’s Albariño wines, you’re sort of getting the profile. Sort of. Reguengo de Melagaço’s 100 percent Alvarinho 2017, with its mineral/tropical, fruit/floral notes, wrapped itself seductively around a traditional seafood meal, its mineral-tinged profile bringing out the briny best of the fresh, local catch.

  On the drive south down the A-52 the following day, I saw more of the devastation caused by the previous year’s wildfires – similar to those ravaging Spain the night before. Huge tracts of the charred forest looked alien and surreal and spoke of the natural tragedy that took lives and decimated the countryside.

  Winding my way into the visually stunning and oenologically legendary Douro Valley, I mused on the incredible variety of everything in Portugal, all within a short(ish) drive. Spectacular and varied scenery, sophisticated, historic cities and towns (many with vibrant nightlife scenes if that’s what you’re into), top-notch food, wine and hospitality. You’ll get the last three of these in spades if you’re traveling through the Douro, especially if you visit estates like Quinta da Foz and Quinta do Silval, which is where I was ultimately headed.

  That night I bivouacked at the cool Casa de Santa Cruz Hotel. I was the only guest of this recently upgraded and modernized boutique lodging. Heading out in search of sustenance, one of the friendly staff handed me the front door key, noting that she was locking up soon and instructing me to re-lock the door on my return and that she would see me in the morning for breakfast. I thought I must have come off as extremely trustworthy. It turns out that this is pretty common practice in smaller European towns. This is not generally something you experience in Toronto, probably a good thing.

  I pulled into Quinta da Foz the next day. If the Douro is famous for one thing, it’s port – perhaps the world’s most recognized fortified wine. And if there was a better way to get a sense of the valley, the river and the surrounding vineyards and wineries than by boat, I couldn’t imagine it. Relaxing with a glass of wine in the back seat of the “Syrah Régua,” with the afternoon sun glowing in a cloudless sky, I almost drifted off as we languorously drifted along the Douro river.

  Dinner and accommodations that night were provided courtesy of Alexandre Magalhãs at Quinta do Silval. Surrounded by the Douro’s famous terraced vineyards and sporting a very welcome pool, the quaint hotel/winery crafts outstanding wines and serves some pretty mean chow. Over a minor feast that night (featuring possibly the best octopus I’ve ever eaten), I asked Magalhãs (who seriously reminded me of Javier Bardem) about the rise in importance of Douro table wines and if this was an indication that the region’s historic fortified wines were falling out of favor.

  “Some new categories of port wine were introduced into the market, like Ruby Reserve and Ruby LBV,” he said. “Port wines in these special categories are increasing their market share, but interest in entry-level categories is decreasing.” He noted that Douro table wines continue to perform well, in no small part to the region’s historical reputation. We tasted a few exceptional wines with dinner (including the Dorna Velha Grande Reserva 2014, a particular highlight). Still, the Magalhãs 2004 Vintage Port, tinged with aromas and flavors of sultana, graphite and dense blackberry, served as a potent reminder that the Douro’s traditional wine star should not be overlooked.

  Admittedly, I was a bit on edge. This is probably a natural condition for anyone facing a potentially life-altering experience. Or a life-ending one.

  Lest anyone imagine that a “drive through a vineyard” is a scenic and tranquil affair, I offer you a drive through the vineyards of the Quinta do Covão winery in the Dão region with owner Filipe Ferreia. Without the consultation of a compass, I ascertained that we were traveling due south – as in south on about a 75-degree angle – and due for what I worried might be my last vineyard visit. Ever.

  It turns out Ferreia could (though I prayed it wouldn’t) do this tour with his eyes closed and, returning me in one un-mangled piece back to his digs, plied me with food and examples of what his region could conjure from local grapes. These included a crisp Cohleita Selecionado Dão 2016, its mineral/melon/citrus aromas and clean, balanced elegant taste profile calming my still-edgy nerves. I also knocked back a few reds, including the Quinta do Covão Tinto 2014 and Quinta do Covão 2015 Tinto Reserva Touriga Nacional. The former offered elegance, vanilla, smoke and bing cherry nuances. The latter, from 25-year-old vines, was complex, concentrated and rich, yet with the elegance typically associated with Dão reds. Consummate “food wines,” maybe a bit angular on their own, but with the wonderful home-cooked Portuguese lunch I was indulging in, perfect.

  With my ultimate destination, Lisbon, edging near with each kilometer driven, I decided I was still thirsty enough to hit a couple of the regions in and around the city first.

  I stopped in to say hello to Márcio Ferriera, export director at Casa Ermelinda Freitas-Vinhos. Most of the wineries I visited on my excursion were small to mid-sized. CEF-V is, well, big, with extensive vineyard plantings, state-of-the-art facilities and a wide range of wines covering all styles, from sparkling to sweet.

  I tasted about ten of them, and rather than reprint all my tasting notes (which would be as boring to read as they would be to rewrite), I’ll offer this observation: if it’s a quality-driven winery, its wines will (in theory) also be high quality. In the case of CEF-V, the theory was born out in the tasting. Keep an eye out for the flinty, crisp Alvariñho 2016, the bold, succulent Dona Ermalinda Reserva 2015 and the intense, menthol and lead pencil/gunflint-driven Dona Ermalinda Grande Reserve 2011. The tasting was also proof that quality and quantity can actually co-exist.

  Swinging south of Lisbon for a final visit and lunch, I was given a crash course in the wines of the Alentejo region by Morais Rocha, proprietor of the eponymously named winery. We dined that day at País das Uvas, and it was like sitting down to a meal with most of the local population. To say it was served “family style” would be something of an understatement.

  As we share food, wine, laughter and song, I sipped Rocha’s crisp, floral peach-scented JJ Verdejlho 2017 before hunkering down (about six wines later) with a topped-up glass of the Cabernet/Syrah-based Morias Rocha Reserva 2013. Packed with ripe, concentrated, smoky dark plum and tobacco notes laced with cedar, mocha and vanilla, it was a 15 percent ABV blockbuster. Given the superb quality of his wines, I was surprised when, back at the estate, Rocha admitted: “I make more money off olive oil than wine,” a statement that’s the complete opposite of what you typically hear from those who make and sell both liquids.

  The streets of Lisbon are alive. I’m taking in the revelry after an astounding seafood feast at the wildly popular and world-renown Cervejariia Ramiro (check out Anthony Bourdain’s filmed visit on the usual internet sites).

  When you have dinner around midnight, the night tends to run late, like into the next morning late. But in keeping with what I found everywhere that I visited on my tour of Portugal, the people of Lisbon, it seemed to me, to live life in high gear, a state that was vivacious yet relaxed, intense and passionate, and, ultimately, completely civilized. Those living in the more raucous neighborhoods of Lisbon are actually paid “overtime” if street noise carries on later than warranted. Party hard. Sleep well. As it is with Portugal’s wines, the key to pleasure is all in the balance.