I think 187ml cans are a great idea for picnics and don't have a problem paying a (slight) premium for the convenience and ease of carriage but the idea of sitting at home on my sofa and cracking open a 187ml bottle ... and trying to make one last a whole evening ... is probably one of the least attractive concepts I have ever heard.
Some 15-20 years ago, the 0.187 ml wine bottle was very popular in the Balkans, particularly in Serbia, Montenegro, and N.Macedonia. Within the companies that produced bottles, it was known as airline packaging. At the large-scale winery where I used to work, we produced 100,000 or more bottles in some years. It was well received by the audience, especially in bars and restaurants, with more in bars. But then came "the house wine," represented by the BiB package, a category in which restaurants were more comfortable with margins and pricing, and it soon became dominant. Today, one can still order the 187 ml at restaurants and bars, and it's still on the menu, but a glass of house wine is far more popular with the final consumer. Taking the Italian example, particularly the Veneto, we also tried a 375 ml bottle, but it never worked in the above mentioned countries.
As I don't have a subscription I'm assuming that the article is about single serve. Apologies if not. Of course these already exist but, I wonder if folks remember when 50cl was going to be the next big thing?
Seems screamingly apparent we need to align to fundamental shifts in lifestyle. Cans, goonbags and perfume bottle sizes are things. But they flout the ritual associated with wine. We are having a shot at 500mL formats. Traditional prem burg bottles. Boutique qlty (ie., not industrial wine) Chard and Pinot Noir. Field research is ragingly positive - except in fine wine retail and with every wine producer we've floated this past. Fair bit of resistence/derision from this quarter. We will see.
I think 187ml cans are a great idea for picnics and don't have a problem paying a (slight) premium for the convenience and ease of carriage but the idea of sitting at home on my sofa and cracking open a 187ml bottle ... and trying to make one last a whole evening ... is probably one of the least attractive concepts I have ever heard.
I think you may not be the target for this product…
Agreed - I don't suppose anyone who reads a wine Substack is 🙄
I’m guessing my readers are professionals
Why 187ml? Yes it’s one quarter of a bottle, but restaurants serve wine in 125, 150 or even 250ml glasses. Perhaps 250 and 500ml bottles?
I’m not sure this is aimed at restaurants, but I’d like to see wine sold in all those size formats
Some 15-20 years ago, the 0.187 ml wine bottle was very popular in the Balkans, particularly in Serbia, Montenegro, and N.Macedonia. Within the companies that produced bottles, it was known as airline packaging. At the large-scale winery where I used to work, we produced 100,000 or more bottles in some years. It was well received by the audience, especially in bars and restaurants, with more in bars. But then came "the house wine," represented by the BiB package, a category in which restaurants were more comfortable with margins and pricing, and it soon became dominant. Today, one can still order the 187 ml at restaurants and bars, and it's still on the menu, but a glass of house wine is far more popular with the final consumer. Taking the Italian example, particularly the Veneto, we also tried a 375 ml bottle, but it never worked in the above mentioned countries.
However, I am curious about the 500 ml or whether anyone has experience with it.
As I don't have a subscription I'm assuming that the article is about single serve. Apologies if not. Of course these already exist but, I wonder if folks remember when 50cl was going to be the next big thing?
And it's not just Australia, Robert. I don't know if you've met Abby Bogle, from Small Lot Bottles, but She (and Candice, the Director of Business Development) has been a pioneer in nationalizing this format in the US. Have a look at what they're doing here: https://www.smalllotbottles.com/?srsltid=AfmBOor-OQ_9WFfo1wXeg3dKkLroPIpA2YxKVnbbnTF85UIlhR-br_MO
Seems screamingly apparent we need to align to fundamental shifts in lifestyle. Cans, goonbags and perfume bottle sizes are things. But they flout the ritual associated with wine. We are having a shot at 500mL formats. Traditional prem burg bottles. Boutique qlty (ie., not industrial wine) Chard and Pinot Noir. Field research is ragingly positive - except in fine wine retail and with every wine producer we've floated this past. Fair bit of resistence/derision from this quarter. We will see.