Grape wine news

Smaller wine bottles for less drinking? 3 March 2008

British Medical Journal has suggestion for alcohol restraint

The esteemed British Medical Journal has asked a very sensible question: why does a standard bottle of wine have to contain 750 ml? And now a leading UK supermarket is launching a French range in 500 ml bottles.

In the latest edition of the BMJ, the journal's deputy editor, Trish Groves writes that banning supersize meal portions may help to cut obesity rates and education may help to cut harmful drinking, but what about ‘supersize portions’ of wine? ‘Why does wine have to come in 75 cl bottles? I like a glass of good wine with my supper. But, once two of us have had a glass each, it’s hard to know what to do with the rest. ... It’s all too tempting to finish the bottle there and then to avoid waste.’ Dr Groves refers to the fact that the problem is compounded by the fact that the alcohol levels in wine have risen substantially. Using smaller wine bottles could help cut alcohol consumption and related health problems.

The BMJ’s recommendation coincides with UK supermarket Waitrose’s launch of Vin à deux, a French range in 500 ml bottles, which it says is aimed at a couple sharing, providing one glass each. With local health-warning labels exactly a year away, do South African producers ever give any thought to matters such as this?

COMMENT

From Dana Buys of Vrede en Lust:
We launched a full range of 375ml bottles under screwcap a few years ago for the same reasons! We have all of the Vrede en Lust wines (except for the Reserve) in 375ml at exactly half the price of the 750ml bottles. I believe we were the first to sell half the wine at half the price!

Our research showed that many customers were interested in smaller servings but baulked at paying 60-70% of full bottle prices for only half the wine. The added advantage of the half bottles is that one can mix and match wines depending on courses and each bottles delivers a decent 187ml glass full of wine. They have been growing in popularity and are especially popular in guest houses, hotels and lodges. They sell very well from the cellar door but the retailers have not really embraced the concept of half bottles at all. Many restaurants prefer to sell full bottles of wine instead.

I think it is an education process still under way. In the US retail market the smaller servings is the fastest growing segment of the retail wine market.

From winemaker Chris Williams:
While I support the principle of offering as much choice to the wine lover as possible, let's not forget that wines that are intended for ageing tend do so more succesfully in larger format bottles.

From Bacchus the Great:
Something to consider. The packagingcost per volume of wine obviously rise the smaller the bottle. And we need to plant more plants to help reduce CO2. So will this be good for earth? What about going to sleep happy (in the knowledge that you helped save the planet by drinking that 750ml.

From Cathy van Zyl:
And where did I read recently that larger wine goblets in wine bars are being blamed for binge drinking, and/or encouraging people to drink too much?

From Poor Tom!
Anybody ever thought of taking a doggy-bag home instead of being a greedy guts and trying to finish the whole thing alone? Next folk will say we need wine in a can, like the inmates of some far off island. Restraint, more water and more friends should solve a problem or two.

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