Winemakers Tap Alternative Packaging To Target New Occasions
October 15, 2025In a bid to expand wine’s consumption occasions, winemakers are increasingly exploring new packaging formats beyond the traditional 750-ml. glass bottle. Some changes are made for environmental purposes, while others are simply responding to consumer demands for a broader array of packaging options.
Last year, Bogle Family Wine Collection introduced Element[AL] Wines, packaged in 750-ml. aluminum wine bottles that are “lightweight, infinitely recyclable, and are made in the shape of a traditional wine bottle,” says vice president of consumer relations Jody Bogle, citing environmental stewardship as a key factor in the new format. “It’s widely known in the wine industry that glass bottles are the largest contributor to wine’s carbon footprint, so we began exploring ways we could help move the industry forward with a radical new approach,” she says.
O’Neill Vintners & Distillers followed a few months later with aluminum bottle packaging for its FitVine line of wines. The packaging—lightweight, resealable, and unbreakable—targets “outdoor enthusiasts and urban adventurers” and drinking occasions beyond the dinner table.
Last fall, supermarket chain Albertsons Cos. launched a private label wine called Bee Lightly in a bottle made from 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which the company says is 87% lighter than the material used for traditional glass bottles. The bottles are unusually shaped—flat pack rather than round—which allows for a smaller environmental footprint and nearly doubles the number of bottles on a single shipping pallet.
Exclusively at Whole Food Markets, Bonny Doon Vineyard’s Carbon…Nay! wine is packaged in a paper bottle. Created by packaging company FrugalPac, the paperboard exterior houses a PET pouch to hold the Central Coast pink wine blend. “The new packaging aligns perfectly with our own efforts to create a more sustainable and transparent wine industry, and what our customers are growing to expect from key leaders in this space,” Kara Chavez, principal category merchant of adult beverage at Whole Foods Market, said at the launch.
Alternatives to the standard 750-ml. glass bottle also include boxed wine, which has thrived in the 3-liter format and also is available in various other sizes, while Tetra Paks and single-serve cans fill a niche for on-the-go wine consumption. Kathy Pyrce, vice president of marketing for Delicato Family Wines, says Bota Box’s 3-liter boxes continue to thrive, as do Tetra Paks. “The 500-ml. Tetras—our consumers are just loving that format.”
Precept Wines has long been in the alternative packaging mix with boxed and canned wines under the House Wine label. “I think providing wine in an easily transportable format is important for any wine consumer, but definitely the younger generations are quicker to adapt and gravitate to that,” says Precept CMO Alex Evans.
One action being taken by a broad swath of wineries is simply a reduction in the weight of the bottles. “We’ve been moving as much of our portfolio as possible towards more sustainable packaging, and we’re leading that effort with lightweight glass,” says Evans.
Many other prominent wine brands have pursued bottle weight reductions as well. Napa Valley’s Cuvaison winery last year began transitioning its portfolio to a new custom lightweight bottle, which reduces the overall bottle weight by 27% and eliminates the use of foil capsules. “As a winery that embraces sustainability as one of our core values, this was a very important initiative for Cuvaison,” says president and CEO Daniel Zepponi.
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