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Big Basin Vineyards, located in Boulder Creek, CA (halfway between San Francisco and Monterey) has an interesting take on how to foil a bottle of wine--don't.

Their winemaker, Bradley Brown, explains in the video below that they came to the conclusion that foils (and wax) don't serve a pragmatic purpose, that they are just a convention from the past. I don't agree completely, I think they still protect the top of the cork from dust (although Brown argues that they hide more problems than they solve), and I don't see where the line of divorcing the wine from the aethstetic package ends (OK, I do, it is the 15L wine box they serve wine out of at restaurants). But maybe not having a capsule will make a bottle stand out more on the shelf.

Watch the video and let me know what you think in our forums. And thanks to @myvinespace for the link.

Faraway Farms, a winery in South Africa, has updated their packaging and their new case is a nice example of graphically incorporating a cut line for retail display. This stops the clerk at your local shop from willy-nilly cutting wherever he wants.

Full info at their blog.

Here is the pic:

Wine Intelligence has a new report out on the emerging wine drinkers in China. They know that imported wines are better, but are confused about what to buy so they stick with local, inferior wines. I think there is a tremendous opportunity here to develop labels that speak to the Chinese consumer. With 80 million potential buyers by 2025, large (and even small premium wineries) should be focusing on developing Chinese specific brands for export. Labels that are a mix of classic U.S. but with very specific hooks for the Chinese.

Wine Intelligence is selling the 150 page report for £3,500.

Read the full release here: Chinese consumers “waking up” to imported wine – but find it difficult to understand.

Let's see, you are on a plane, you order the house red, you get your glass and it smells like TCA, how could that be, it came out of a little plastic bottle with a screw cap, no cork in sight. Wait, could it be coming from the plane?

Two days didn't feel like enough to check out all of the great wine packaging suppliers at the 2010 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, but I did my best, and here are five that piqued my interest.

The Green Glass Company, out of Wisconsin is taking a packaged wine and making it a wine package (so to speak).

Ran across them while looking at what wineries are doing to recycle & reuse. Seems they take discarded bottles, of all types, and transform them into goblets, glasses, vases and more. They've got a patented process especially for wine bottles. Very cool.

From their website:

With origins dating back to 1992 in South Africa, The Green Glass Company has seen many incarnations and has grown into the largest producer of reclaimed glassware in the world.

The Green Glass Company strives to satisfy not only its recycling heritage but also its eclectic and diverse clientele.   With its patent on the unique wine bottle to goblet conversion process, The Green Glass Company team and its state-of-the-art equipment are at the forefront of the reclaimed glassware market.

Revered throughout Europe and other parts of the world as collectable art glass, The Green Glass Company goblets have even been chosen for the table of King Carlos of Spain, a former Mayor of New York City, movie sets, and, celebrity dinners. In addition to their popularity with consumers and collectors, The Green Glass Company products are quickly becoming a valuable marketing tool in the corporate world. Sandblasted with a company name or logo, the glasses not only provide enduring brand exposure, they also provide insight into a company’s awareness and commitment to preserving our resources.

The increasing popularity of reclaimed and recycled products will continue to fuel the forward momentum of The Green Glass Company.   The introduction of new product lines and innovative designs will ensure that the company continues to be viewed as the pioneer in reclaimed glassware.

The Green Glass Company challenges everyone to push beyond the average, strive to make a difference, thrive on creativity – and promises to do the same.

It is simple, yet imaginative.

It is conceptually elementary, yet technologically complex.

It is an ordinary bottle, yet an extraordinary drinking glass.   Cheers.

Matt Kramer, one of my favorite Spectator columnists, has an interesting idea for interacting with the consumer. He decries the fact that most wines offer nothing substantial at point-of-purchase. They don't offer any stories, nothing to connect with the potential buyer. He is realistic, though, he understands that with the small space a label has to offer, there really isn't much that can be done. He doesn't have the perfect solution, but his first take--maybe something as simple as a dedicated phone line on the label where a buyer can hear a recorded message--would be better than what is currently out there.

The article is worth a read:

Killer Wine App

Is green the green choice for wine bottles?

Bag-in-Box? Been there, done that, how about bag-in-barrel?

Three Thieve's latest design for their popular The Show brand.