Fugitive
A lighter environmental footprint is pushing the “humble” bag-in-box and other alternative packaging options into the limelight, says Fugitive Organic Co-founder and Winemaker Nadine Worley.
Neil Pattinson of Whistling Buoy Wine Company has launched Vino single serve pouches for greater convenience and smaller serve size.
“Drinking habits have changed, but the format hasn’t,” he says. “The traditional wine bottle is just too heavy, too fragile, and sometimes just too much.”
He did a soft launch of the 150ml pouches at the Canterbury A&P Show, and says the response was immediate.
“Everyone told us the pouch solved a problem they didn’t even realise they were sick of. And they all had a favourite place they’d take a pouch but would never take a bottle. The convenience just resonated with everyone.”
At last year’s NZW Wine Business Forum in Christchurch, wine business strategist Lulie Halstead noted that in the United States, nearly 60% of alcohol drinking occasions are now either solo or with one other person.
Meanwhile, consumers were increasingly open minded to alternative formats and serve size, she said.
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The glass bottle will remain, “but the opportunity for building growth will also come from alternative sizes and container types”.
Neil, a former biochemist with experience in research and biotech, has been working on the project since 2023, when he noticed a widening gap between how people drink and what the wine industry delivers, set against a growing oversupply.
Consumer behaviours were changing, particularly for younger drinkers who were moderating alcohol or looking for more flexible ways to enjoy it, he says.
“We kept asking ourselves why wine still assumes you’re sitting at a white-tablecloth dinner…Most people want something easier, something they can throw in a bag without worrying about weight… or worse, broken glass.”
Each Vino pouch is made from a laminated aluminium soft plastic with an outer cardboard sleeve, both of which are fully recyclable. As packaging technology evolves, Neil plans to introduce biodegradable closures.
