Wine specialist, South Wine Company (SWC), is expanding its range of packaging and is now making its “Odyssey”-brand quality wines available on the Russian market in aseptic carton packs. The company has opted for the packaging and filling technology from SIG Combibloc (sig.biz): Four of its own homegrown, semi-dry wines are now offered in the combiblocSlimline 1,000ml carton pack. SWC’s wines have previously been available in glass bottles only.

 

“We decided to make our wines, which come exclusively from our own grape-growing areas on the Taman Peninsula, available in carton packs from SIG Combibloc,” says Vyacheslav Merkulov, deputy managing director of the SWC. “We are convinced that this packaging preserves the high quality of our wines and perfectly suits the convenience requirements of modern consumers.” 

 

At Krasnodar, immediately adjacent to the vineyards, the company therefore installed a CFA 310 filling machine from SIG Combibloc to fill the combiblocSlimline carton packs. Krasnodar is on the Taman Peninsula, between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Protected against severe frost in the winter and enjoying a warm summer climate, the region benefits from its location making it one of the most important wine-growing areas in Russia. 

 

“For us it is very important that products are of high-quality and natural origin – and that relates to our wines and the packaging we use for our products,” says Merkulov. “Especially young consumers have quite particular expectations when it comes to wine. They prefer high-quality locally grown and produced wines in practical and safe packaging at a fair price. So aseptic carton packs are absolutely ideal. They score because they are lightweight and unbreakable.”

 

“We are observing that not only low-cost table wines but also good standard products and quality wines are increasingly being offered in aseptic carton packs,” says Norman Gierow, head of global product management market at SIG Combibloc. “The four fully printable display surfaces on a carton pack can help change the image of wine in carton packs – they offer plenty of options for creative and attractive designs, which will draw attention to them on the wine shelf. At the same time, the logistical and handling advantages of carton packs create an ideal opportunity for wine producers and fillers to develop new distribution and marketing channels.”