by Larry Walker

Boisset Family Estates will ship Beaujolais Nouveau wines from its Mommessin and Bouchard Aine & Fils French wineries in PET bottles in North America this autumn.  According to Jean-Charles Boisset, president of the company, the move to PET will reduce weight of the air-shipped wine by 42% and freight costs by 33%.

“It just makes sense also from an environmental point of view,” Boisset told Meininger’s Wine Business International. “Why on earth are we still bottling these wines and shipping in glass?”

Boisset expects to ship about 25,000 cases of the Beaujolais Nouveau to North America, some 10% of Nouveau shipments to that market. “I would like to work with other French producers to have all Beaujolais Nouveau bottled and shipped in PET containers,” he said.

Boisset has been a leader in alternative packaging. Their best known brand is French Rabbit, shipped in Tetra Pak cartons, which sells more than 240,000 cases worldwide. Boisset will introduce Green Rabbit, an organic wine this autumn. Tetra Pak has a carbon footprint that is 10% that of wine in glass.

“We have had very good reaction from the trade and consumers,” Boisset said. “I am getting calls from the trade every day about the new PET package.”

Boisset will launch Fog Mountain, an organic wine from California in PET containers in October. It is estimated that PET bottles produce 40% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a glass bottle. PET is 100 per cent recyclable.