Wine in a Beer Bottle
In future, the Galler winery based in the Palatinate wants to offer wine in reusable bottles that are adapted to the German deposit system for beer bottles. The winery plans to present its solution at ProWein, which will be held in Düsseldorf from March 19 to 21.
The Galler winery sees itself as a pioneer for “Piwi” wines. “Piwi” is short for fungus-resistant vines in German. These are new varieties that, according to the winery, can withstand the special climatic conditions of our time. To ensure that ecological sustainability doesn’t stop at the bottling line, the Galler winery wants to give it a further boost by bottling wine in deposit bottles that are adapted to the deposit system for beer bottles.
“Why are there nuts and chickpeas sold in the typical yogurt deposit jars today, but no wine in deposit bottles?” with this question on her mind, Katja Galler came home from shopping at the beginning of 2022, as the winery reports. It was quickly agreed upon, they say. The idea: “What is slowly gaining acceptance with food, we can also do with wine. We simply have to adapt to the common bottle shapes in the reusable system. Then the trade and the customer will get along fine, and the younger target group is much more flexible when it comes to appearance anyway,” says Ansgar Galler.
Project to be expanded step by step
To start with, the Gallers want to fill the classic 0.5-liter beer deposit bottle with a fine white wine cuvée made from Sauvignac and Johanniter, with an initial print run of 5,000. In the bio trade the wine is to be to be sold for 7.99 euro plus deposit. Galler also plans to fill a rosé, a red wine, and a secco in deposit bottles in the following years.
Courageous, visionary thinking, and daring to implement it as well proves how much innovative power can come from small family wineries, the winery’s press release says. “If the big players join in, a lot would be gained,” says Ansgar Galler, hoping for a rethinking of and sustainable improvements in wine packaging throughout the industry.
