OPERATORS
" Element [ AL ] aluminum wine bottles , which are 80 % lighter than an average glass wine bottle , save roughly 11,500 lbs . of weight per truckload for the same amount of wine ."
– Bogle Family Wine Collection
Patykewich believes that when consumers purchase a wine from a producer that ’ s focused on doing the right thing for the environment , they are voting with their wallets for a positive change to environmental practices . “ Even if it is just one bottle , it ’ s making a difference ,” he notes .
What ’ s more , sustainably produces wines are healthier , Patykewich says .
“ They lack many of the chemicals and pesticides used by so many other winemakers ,” he explains . “ I wouldn ’ t go as far as to say it prevents a hangover , but it makes them a whole lot easier to stomach .”
Sustainability is vital to wine production ’ s long-term success , says Nick Pizzonia , vice president of Court Liquors in Long Branch , NJ . “ It will help protect our natural resources such as water and energy .”
Growers are wrestling with climate change on a yearly basis , he notes , “ and the former isn ’ t working so well . Some of the choices commodity farming has made have led to these problems .”
Monoculture , for example , “ degrades soil health , is dependent on synthetic fertilizers and destroys ecosystems ,” Pizzonia says . “ Sustainable efforts can help reduce and even eliminate some of the concerns .”
Bogle Family Wine Collection earlier this year launched Element [ AL ] Wines , packaged in 750-ml . aluminum wine bottles that are lightweight , recyclable and made in the shape of a traditional wine bottle .
Merriman ’ s Hawaii recently launched a boxed wine program with several California wineries for its wine-by-the-glass programs .
Across all tiers , farmers , suppliers and retailers are making meaningful changes , whether it ’ s growers converting to organic and biodynamics or suppliers looking into to lighter-weight class and or recyclable packaging , says Pizzonia . “ At the retail level , you are seeing buyers make a choice , stocking organic selections over commodity produced products .”
Do consumers really care about and support such sustainability efforts ?
They care a great deal , according to Pizzonia . “ We see in the everyday demand and our sales show it .” About 70 % of Court Liquors ’ wine sales come from sustainable , organic and biodynamic wines , vs . 30 % from commodity wines , he says .
FROM BOTTLES TO BOXES
Sustainable packaging is a another concern , as glass bottles greatly contribute to the wine industry ’ s carbon footprint . Bogle Family Wine Collection earlier this year launched Element [ AL ] Wines , a wine brand packaged in 750−ml . alumi-
2024 Sustainability Guide 7