PET bottles - the next tuyere for wine packaging?

When it comes to traditional wine packaging, most people's first impression is a 0.75-liter glass bottle + natural cork stopper. However, many wines are currently undergoing bold innovations - the use of PET plastic bottles for high-end wine packaging.

For example, the Bodega Matarromera wine estate in Spain tries to use plastic bottles to package high-quality wines. Welmoed wineries in South Africa have also gradually replaced plastic bottles with traditional 750-ml glass bottles. British supermarket giant Marks & Spencer also started selling 0.25 litres of plastic bottled red wine in 2010.

Even airlines are more willing to use plastic bottles of wine to serve passengers!

Why?

PET bottles have a very strong resistance to falling, and the weight is also very light. A 0.7 liter PET bottle weighs only 50 grams, which is one tenth of the weight of a glass bottle of the same capacity.

PET bottles also have good recyclability, production, transportation and storage costs. Its packaging design is also more plastic.

However, some people in the industry are not optimistic about the use of plastic bottles for alcohol packaging, that "plastic bottles have higher ultraviolet radiation and oxygen migration, will affect the quality of alcoholic beverages, from the shelf life of alcohol to reduce the shelf life."

According to a survey conducted by Geisenheim, a research institute, modern processing technology can improve the internal airtightness of plastic bottles and reduce the impact of using plastic bottles on wine. In addition, the plastic bottle caps with better airtightness can seal the opened bottles again, thereby extending shelf life.

So, will PET bottles become the next outlet for wine packaging?