Mondipak Atlantis (MPA) is taking on the wine market with its RAPPET bottles, aiming to achieve a sizeable share in a packaging segment which traditionally has been dominated by glass. One of the Western Cape's most esteemed wine estates - Backsberg, near Paarl, has become the first South African winery to bottle certified wine in PET bottles. The "Tread Lightly" range has vintages, wine of origin certification and varietal wines, making it clear that they didn't want to put a cheap product in PET. According to the company, MPA has also succeeded to give its multi-layer PET bottles the same transparency and aesthetic appeal as glass. MPA sales manager Louis Moodie says the new product's market acceptance is gaining momentum because the bottles weight considerably less, and take up less space than glass bottles. "They weigh around 50g, compared to glass at around 400g a bottle. What's more, they can't break," Moodie says. Also, while plastic is often perceived as a pollutant, these bottles are fully recyclable. In introducing this new product to the market, MPA worked closely with EU suppliers. When the team started researching enhanced barrier bottles to provide extended shelf life for wine, their investigations led to Artenius PET Packaging Europe and closure maker Novembal. The end result is a multi-layer PET bottle that blocks oxygen from outside - essential for wine storage - and scavenges the oxygen dissolved in wine and caught in the head-space. "We have a proven 2y shelf life for our 750ml bottle. The secret is the use of Artenius polyamide barrier technology, which functions as both a barrier to oxygen ingress and as a scavenger," Moodie said.
