Avenue Vine

I first saw cartons like these at the “THE NEW INNOVATORS” wine packaging design, a showcase event at Copia last October 18, 2005. I couldn’t help thinking about milk cartons when I saw them! They were just one of the ‘new inovations' in winw packaging’ on show that day–plastic 375ml. bottles, etc. ...

Now shipping out of France:

The New York-based Boisset America is introducing its new line of wines, French Rabbit, in early 2006. Sourced from grapes in the South of France, the 2004 French Rabbit Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are packaged in environmentally-friendly ePods, in addition to glass 750-ml. bottles. The 1-liter octagonal-shaped containers are made from Tetra Pak material that protects the wine from UV rays and have tamper-resistant plastic screw caps.

“Our mission is to be the market leader of quality wine in innovative and environmentally-friendly packaging,” says Jean-Charles Boisset, president of Boisset America. “Our family has been growing wine for two generations, so preserving the planet has always been important to us. While sustainable vineyard practices were already in use, we are delighted to add environmentally-friendly packaging to our repertoire.”

What makes French Rabbits’ ePod packaging good for the earth? It takes 26 times less fuel and CO2 emissions to transport one ePod than one bottle of wine. Additionally, the ePod is 100-percent recyclable, reduces packaging waste by 93 percent and cost 83 percent less to recycle compared to glass.

French Rabbit ePods boast an orange screw top for each varietal: with varying vibrant packaging colors: platinum for Pinot Noir, green for Chardonnay, purple for Cabernet Sauvignon, and pink for Merlot. Bunnies are pictured running above the logo, which converts the lower case b’s in “rabbit” into bunny ears.

French Rabbit will be available on- and off-premise in more than 30 states by March 1 2006. Both the 1-liter ePod and the 750-ml. bottle retail for $9.99—a decision Boisset made to reward consumers for choosing the ecologically-sound ePod.

Source: “Boisset To Launch French Rabbit Line,” Courtney Thompson, December 01, 2005