Canadian wine producer Andrew Peller (Grimsby; www.andrewpeller.com) has launched a range of skinnygrape spritzers in a sleek-looking 330ml ready-to-drink (RTD) PET bottle from Amcor Rigid Plastics (Abbotsford / Australia; www.amcor.com). Andrew Peller said the premium shatter-resistant and portable PET bottles open up new sales opportunities into venues that do not allow glass because of the potential for breakage. Kerry Drewry, sales manager for spirits, wine and beer for Amcor Rigid Plastics, said: “As the consumer market becomes increasingly drawn to PET’s convenience and portability, we expect continued growth for barrier PET containers in a range of package sizes for wine and other spirits drinks.”

A key feature of the PET bottle is its unique silicon oxide barrier coating developed by Germany’s KHS Plasmax (Hamburg; www.khscorpoplast.de) that extends shelf life. The ultrathin coating, which is transparent and resistant to cracking, abrasion and delamination, seals the container from the inside to protect the contents from oxidation and carbonation retention. It is also easily removed during recycling, leaving no contamination.

Andrew Peller said the highly attractive, custom PET container with eye-catching graphics differentiates its low-calorie spritzer from other products in the highly competitive RTD category. In addition, the single-serve bottles have helped the company realise key sustainability benefits as they are one-sixth the weight of glass bottles, have a low carbon footprint and are 100% recyclable.