World Wine Packaging

Report Overview

Changes in wine consumption reshape packaging market

Global wine production and consumption levels have not changed very dramatically in recent years, nor are they expected to in the coming years. This does not mean that little is happening in the wine packaging market. Changes in consumption patterns are reshaping the wine market, and the packaging industry around it. While consumption in many of the traditional winemaking countries is declining, it is on the upswing in the US and other countries in the Western Hemisphere, as well as in Asia.

Glass faces competition

According to World Wine Packaging, a new study from The Freedonia Group, glass bottles, mainly in the familiar 750-milliliter size, remain the dominant packaging format for wine. However, the near-monopolistic grip that glass bottles once had has been loosened by bag-in-box containers, aseptic cartons, and several other package types. While these formats are generally not ideal for wine that will be aged for an extended period, they are suitable for wines intended for consumption not long after they are bottled -- and such wines account for most of the world’s wine.

Bulk packaging buoys global trade

Trade has been an important component of the global wine industry for centuries, and several of the world’s largest wine producing countries have long produced far more wine than their domestic markets can consume, while a number of significant wine consuming nations rely on imports. In recent years, a growing share of the global wine trade is shipped in bulk. Advances in bulk packaging technology have enabled shipping of vast quantities of wine. This saves a considerable amount in shipping costs, particularly for wine that will eventually appear in stores in heavy, breakable glass bottles.

“Wine experience” a major factor

Beyond objective performance criteria, glass bottles still enjoy a degree of prestige that alternative packaging generally cannot match, particularly in terms of the mythological “wine experience,” which inevitably includes images of a traditional wine bottle with a cork closure, a capsule, and elegant labeling. However, The Freedonia Group found that many traditional wine producing countries have moved away from this archetype and increased their use of bag-in-box, plastic bottles, and other alternatives. Although glass bottles are still used to package most wine in most countries, metal screw caps and synthetic stoppers have established an appreciable market presence. In a broad sense, there is a correlation between the cost of wine and the value of the materials used to package it, but there are no absolutes and factors like environmental consideration and “tradition equity” can vary from one country to another.

Study coverage

World Wine Packaging analyzes the world wine packaging market. It presents historical data (2005, 2010, 2015) plus forecasts (2020, 2025) for supply and demand by wine packaging type (containers, closures, labels, capsules, wire hoods, bulk packaging) and wine container type (glass bottles, bag-in box, aseptic cartons, plastic bottles, other) in five regions and 25 countries. The study also considers market environment factors, assesses industry structure, analyzes company market share and profiles industry participants worldwide.

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