Though consumers are open to ideas about changing wine packaging, glass remains the container of choice & the one that most consumers feel reflect good quality content. 2/3 of regular wine drinkers currently think that wine should only be packaged in glass bottles, & amongst them younger drinkers & high involved drinkers were most likely to agree that wine should only be contained in glass. The findings come from the most recent WSTA & Wine Intelligence 'Consumer Intelligence' report. The survey indicates just 37% of consumers would be prepared to consider alternatives to glass bottles for wine packaging with Bag-in-Box having most consumer support. 40% of UK wine drinkers saying that had bought wine in that format over the past 3m. Tetrapak was the most unpopular option with only 1% of consumers choosing to buy wine in a carton during the summer months. The appeal of alternative packaging also varied by occasion: when considering various options for buying wine in alternative packages such as parties, picnics or informal meals at home, 82% of consumers would consider a PET bottle, 79% a bag-in-box, 65% a pouch, 59% a tetrapak carton, but 61% ruled out wine in a ring pull can for all occasions. Commenting on the quarterly Consumer Intelligence Report, WSTA chief executive Jeremy Beadles said: "Many of our members are currently looking at ways of reducing their environmental impact and for some this includes considering alternative packaging solutions: lighter weight glass bottles, plastic bottles, pouches, cans and cartons. I hope that this research will help them understand consumer attitudes towards these developments."
