Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/591609
92 WINES&VINES November 2015 PACKAGING The system is now in use at boutique wineries. "They find that bottling on their own time is more convenient than working around a mobile bottler's schedule," Cavi- ness said. "It only takes a few bot- tling runs for the system to pay for itself, relative to the cost of a mo- bile bottler." The system is an all-in-one unit, so it takes little space. "We set them up so there's just a single plug for air, a single plug for electrical. The entire table can be rolled away when not in use," he said. Larger wineries also have ad- opted the semi-automatic system for ongoing small-batch bottling unsuited to automatic lines. "Ste. Michelle Wine Estates purchased one for a high-sugar dessert wine that would not be compatible with their automated line," Caviness told Wines & Vines. Cost ranges from $18,000 to $30,000, about one-third the price of an entry-level automated line. "Bottling speed is not so different from a full automated line. Our customers get about 12 bottles per minute with average dexterity vs. about 20 bottles per minute for a fully automatic line." Totally alternative: break out of the bottle Astrapouch, the Penfield, N.Y.- based innovator of flexible wine pouches in North America, has reduced the minimum order for printed 1.5-liter Astropaq pouches to 1,000, according to Erica Gra- ham. "We are seeing larger winer- ies adopt this for specialty runs, such as for holiday wines and for testing a new flavor in the pouch to see how customers respond," she said. It's also convenient for smaller wineries that wouldn't otherwise have a multi-serve pouch, Graham added. "A few wineries have some of their SKUs exclusively in the pouch." Although it also provides tradi- tional bottles and closures, G3 Enterprises of Modesto, Calif., has branched out into bottle-free pack- aging as well. Now an exclusive distributor of Petainer 20-liter and 30-liter kegs in 13 western states, G3 also has partnered with Zipz, a single-serve wine package with an innovative oxy- gen-management system, accord- ing to vice president of sales Mihailo Panovich. Made from a high-grade poly- ethylene terephthalate (PET), Petainer kegs are 100% compati- ble with dispensing equipment, deliver taste as intended by brand owner, impose zero reverse logis- tics cost, no maintenance/clean- ing costs or deposit systems and zero effluents from cleaning prod- ucts, according to Panovich. "Petainer kegs are fully and easily recyclable, meeting all the essential requirements for both mechanical and 'energy from waste' recycling. Customers can choose the most appropriate methods and take account of local conditions. PET is one of the easi- est and simplest plastics to recy- cle. Once safely de-pressurized, the kegs can be disposed of in the same way as any other PET pack- aging. No special arrangements need to be made. The major com- ponents of the fittings are also fully recyclable and can be placed in the normal dry recyclables or plastics recovery channels, where systems and facilities exist," he said. Economically priced in com- parison to steel PH. 513-771-7374 MAIL: info@pe-us.com WEB: www.pe-us.com CHOOSE THE SPECIALIST New! No constraints labeling machine. INTERCHANGEABLE MODULES WITH OR WITHOUT CART Free to decide how to fit your labeler at any time: before, during and after purchasing. Models for all speeds. G3's Petainer kegs are fully recyclable, including the tops.