Bulk wine importing is a very unglamorous name for what is essentially a key ingredient in producing quality wines at a cheap price. Bulk wine is wine that is shipped not in its bottle, but in some form of tank, and bottled in the destination country. It can be for cheap un-branded wine or for big brands that need to move large quantities of wine. There are three issues associated with importing wine - quality control, environmental issues and costs.
The UK is the worlds largest wine importer, with more than 1.3 billion litres entering the country each year.
Bulk importing of wine, for bottling in the UK,is increasingly seen as a more cost-effective and environmentally sound alternative to bottling at source. It can reduce CO2 emissions, address consumer concerns about environmental impact and stimulate the market for UK recycled green glass. And due to advancements in tanker technology and quality protocols, bulk imported wine can arrive in better condition than wine bottled at source.
Just something to consider in your set up and plans, for further advise on this subject read this excellent article below:
thirtyfifty.co.uk/spotlight-wine-packaging.asp
Reducing carbon emmisions as a company can be a good focus point for your marketing. Tesco Wines announced in January 2010 that they were launching what they call 'the lightest ever wine bottle'.
The new bottle, weighing just 300g, is the result of collaboration between WRAP, Kingsland Wine and Spirits and Quinn Glass. It is apparently 30% lighter than the lightest bottles that the supermarket giant previously used for bottling its own-label wines in the UK (Tesco have long earned eco-points and save valuable pennies by importing considerable quantities of wine in bulk). These new 300g bottles are expected to reduce Tesco's glass usage by a further 560 tonnes a year.
Tesco reports that bottling in the new 300g glass bottles is one of the final stages in their 'strategy to significantly reduce carbon emissions on wines brought into their stores. Already the majority of New World wines are shipped to the UK in bulk and bottled in the UK, rather than bottled at source'. Since starting bulk shipping in 2003, Tesco now imports 10 million litres of wine a year in bulk to provide 57 different lines.
