First in France’s Wine Country: Wine Sold in Cardboard Bottles
When you think of wine—and honestly, we all do that fairly often, don’t we?—you probably immediately picture a glass wine bottle. But in a few years, that image is expected to look very different. We’ll no longer see glass bottles, but cardboard ones. From now on, you can find cardboard wine bottles in France. A first for the country, which is known worldwide as the ultimate wine nation and where, in some wine regions, screw caps still aren’t widely accepted.
France has faced a wine surplus before. So it’s clear that there’s enough wine to package in cardboard. Still, Château Malijay, a vineyard near Avignon, is currently the first and only French vineyard to take on this innovation. Owner Aude Deltin has chosen her 2021 harvest, ‘Cuvée Mistral Gourmand 2021’, as the vintage that will be sold in cardboard bottles.
Wine in a cardboard bottle: an eco-friendly solution
Why cardboard instead of glass? Simple: because of the environment. The production of the bottles, as well as transporting heavy glass bottles, can be improved. The cardboard wine bottle is an improvement over its glass counterpart in every respect. It is made almost entirely from recycled paper, is lightweight, and requires almost no electricity to produce.
French dream
The AD spoke with Malcolm Waugh, CEO of Frugalpac: the company that developed the cardboard wine bottle. According to him, it’s extremely important that the cardboard bottle becomes a success in France. Precisely because it is known as the ultimate wine country. So far, things have been going well for the British company. Within a few years, its revenues reached the million mark. The collaboration with Château Malijay is the first step toward making its French dream come true.
Exciting innovation
The expectation is that expansion into France won’t happen super quickly. The reason: many winegrowers aren’t fond of change and exciting innovations. They value tradition, and pride also plays a part. The fact that changes in the French wine world don’t happen quickly can be seen, for example, in the development of organic wines. The AD reports that only 10 percent of all wine produced in France is organic. This aversion to change is also exactly why you won’t be seeing wine in cardboard in the French supermarket anytime soon. Unless French consumers suddenly decide en masse to become a little more environmentally friendly. Then perhaps you’ll be able to choose some cardboard bottles at Casino and Carrefour.
And the taste?
Still, there is hope, because the younger French generation is increasingly recognizing the need to make environmentally conscious choices. According to Aude Deltin of Château Malijay, her young age—she is 39—may be one reason why she, as a winemaker, has already come this far. But one thing was important to her: the cardboard bottle couldn’t compromise the taste. Fortunately, it doesn’t. On the other hand, Malcolm Waugh told the AD that the cardboard packaging does affect the wine’s shelf life. You have to drink the wine within a year; otherwise, it won’t be quite as good or enjoyable. Well, I don’t think that’s really a problem.
Tasting
Curious about this wine in cardboard? Château Malijay sells its Cuvée Mistral Gourmand 2021 online. For now, only this summer, to test how people respond to wine in cardboard. You can order the wine online—or, even better, spend a holiday near Château Malijay.
Also read:
- Unbelievable: this bottle of French wine is truly unaffordable
- Why a city trip to the wine city of Bordeaux is a brilliant idea
- The ultimate holiday for wine lovers: camping in a vineyard
Source: AD
