Winery topples tradition with plastic bottles

Yealands has launched its new plastic wine bottles. Photo / Supplied

First it was the cardboard cask, then the screwtop, and now wine buffs are reeling at the latest horror - a plastic wine bottle.

Marlborough winemakers Yealands Estate dropped the bombshell on the nation's sommeliers this week, announcing it was replacing glass bottles with plastic ones.

The first batch, containing Full Circle savignon blanc, has already been released.

Peter Yealands, of Yealands Estate, who aims to own the world's most sustainable winery, said plastic bottles used 19 per cent less energy to produce than glass equivalents.

"It is not going to suit everyone, but I think for the environmentally conscious person who loves a nice wine, it will work well."

But wine critic Timothy Giles questioned if the bottles would come with a 10c refund to make sure they were recycled.

And the low-grade packaging probably reflected the quality of the wine, he said.

"They really haven't made a decent wine yet."

Giles predicted wine in plastic bottles wouldn't "go anywhere near" the restaurant trade. It would be popular with airlines and ships because of the weight but "I can't imagine a single restaurant taking it".

Restaurant Association Education Trust chairman Tony Adcock agreed, saying he would not be serving it in either of his Auckland restaurants.

But Yealands isn't aiming for wine buffs, predicting the wine will be popular with campers, boaties, picnickers and festival-goers.

Wine critic Keith Stewart decried the move, saying New Zealand needed to make a decision on whether it wanted to be known for quality.

"Are we making fine wine or a commodity?"

He also questioned whether Yealands had thought through the use of polyethylene terephthalate in the plastic bottles.

"The United States is looking at the health implications of it. Canada has banned the use of it for baby food containers. It's a bit crazy New Zealand is adopting the product now. If they can't send it over to the United States because of health concerns we are going to have to ask ourselves what we are doing selling it here."

Other winery owners were surprised by Yealands' stance, but said it could work if the wine quality was good.

John Dunleavy, vineyard manager at Te Motu, also on Waiheke, likened the switch to plastic to replacing corks with screwtops.

"It's an interesting move. I can't even imagine how people will react."