Wine in an Aluminum Bottle?

 

 

PEACH FLORALS WITH A HINT OF ALUMINUM:
WINE IN A CAN ?

Well, this is a first.

Check iit out — wine inside an aluminum bottle.

Until this past weekend while at a local grocery store I’d never seen anything like this before. Glass bottles are the norm in wine packaging. I’ve also seen clay bottles. I’ve seen plenty of jugs and boxes, though such wines are to be avoided at all costs. But I’ve never come across light aluminum, which reminds me of the packaging of canned beer.

Before you think I’m leaping to any rush judgements or raging into my usual criticism, let me share more about my experience with this particular wine. I’ll also comment on drinkability, and perhaps most interesting — how this could be a great *change* for wine production and shipping (and cheaper net costs in addition to reduced environmental impacts). BTW, I do not profess to be an authority on this subject. I’m just sharing my personal experience after a couple of days of buying, drinking, and thinking about this new wine discovery.

The first thing I noticed was the price. It’s marked down from $19.99 to $6.97. I’m always suspicious about sale pricing. Many stores mark it up, then mark it down. That way, the consumer thinks their getting a great deal. Jewelers are the worst at this kind of thing. But, we see it everywhere, including wine pricing.

There’s no way I would pay $19.99 for an unknown bottle of Chardonnay. I probably wouldn’t pay half that, unless I knew something about the producer. So, I was skeptical from the start about the *spectacular value.* But hell, for $6.97 how bad can it be? Note: If you buy 4 or more bottles at this store, tack on another 10 percent savings (so, each bottle could be as cheap as $6.28 a bottle). You can see the upside here. Bigly.

I bought two bottles, and returned home. Saturday afternoon, I unscrewed the cap (no corkscrew!) and poured my first glorious glass. Shocker! The wine was quite good. Very drinkable. After a few more glasses, I concluded this wine was a terrific buy for the money. The next day, I went back to the store and bought a case (12).

Here’s more of what I learned (after doing a bit of research):

1. This wine called “ELEMENT[AL]” is made by Bogle Family Vineyards, which is a big producer of drinkable and affordable wines.

2. From their website: “Element[AL] is a lightweight, shatterproof, infinitely recyclable aluminum wine bottle, 80 percent lighter than glass, and does not affect the taste.”

3. The bottle size is deceptive to the eye. It looks much smaller than the normal bottle. However, right there on the label is notification that this packaging contains 750 ml, the same as a conventional wine bottle. It really took me several “let me see this again” looks to convince me this is the same volume, but it is.

4. The weight is NOTICEABLY lighter. This might be its biggest selling point. Obviously, this could be a game changer for wine production and shipping, cutting substantially on costs. The aluminum is also unbreakable, and very convenient for outdoors, mobility, etc. It even fits nicely into a standard cup holder. I suppose a serious drinker could guzzle it straight from the bottle, but that’s not something I would do (well, maybe not — we’ll see….I’ve still got a dozen bottles to go!).

5. I have no direct knowledge of this, but I do suspect many wine drinkers will be very reluctant to change their habits. I would have rejected this instantly, except for the sale price. It will be very hard to change opinions, though this packaging works very well for low-end wines. I hope we see much more of it.

6. Aluminum bottles were introduced in early 2024, which means we’re about 18 months into the experiment. If they really expected to get $19.99 a bottle for this, it’s doomed to failure. However, anything up to $12 might tempt curiosities. And for less than $7, this is a steal.

7. Finally, it’s sad but the red tag “clearance” probably means this wine failed to sell. So, the store (Albertson’s) is discontinuing it. I hope this isn’t the case, which means I better rush out and buy another case!

My conclusion is — aluminum packaging is a great idea and something I’d like to see more of, especially on economy wines or large production, and especially big social events where the unbreakable bottle makes for mass convenience. Given pricing in industrial production of glass and the high-costs of shipping, this more lightweight option is smart. I do hope it spreads and other winemakers consider this option. If you see this wine (or others) with such packaging and it’s an affordable price point, my advice is to give it try.

This was a surprising new discovery and a pleasant wine experience.