Wine purses appeal to eco-conscious, stylish consumers

Reusable wine totes can transport, store and serve any wine

April 8, 2020

Packaging innovations have become an important solution for beverage-makers in established categories. The wine market is no different. In an attempt to shatter the “stigma” associated with bag-in-box (BIB) or bagged wine, some wine brands have taken an innovative approach to the “vessel” for this type of wine packaging. According to an article by Washington, D.C.-based National Public Radio (NPR) titled “No More Shame: Boxed Wine Now Comes in a High-End Fashion Purse,” the idea for a wine purse originated nearly a decade ago in Sweden. That’s where luxury wine expert Takis Soldatos and bag designer Sofia Bloomberg teamed up to create the Vernissage brand, a wine-in-a-purse constructed of cardboard and plastic available in Europe, China, Japan and the United States.

However, with sustainability as a key concern for wine brands targeting eco-conscious consumers, these cardboard and plastic packages present an issue. Yet, new iterations of reusable, luxury-quality wine bags are emerging. For instance, PortoVino has created a wine purse with an insulated pouch for keeping wine cool and a discreet snap-closed opening for a wine spout to make transporting the package easier. Made of vegan leather and lined with a soft cotton interior, PortoVino’s bags can hold one or two bottles of wine in their included pouch or are compatible with other bagged or BIB wines.

PortoVino’s bags are available for wholesale and on porto-vino.com, creating a unique bundling opportunity for wine retailers because any bottled wine can be poured into PortoVino’s wine pouch. PortoVino co-owner Marisa China notes that the company is in discussions with a bagged wine brand, but also says to stayed tuned for new developments.

Returning to her roots in Chicago after writing and marketing in California’s wine country, Sarah Graybill covers everything from beverage brand creative and innovation in packaging, to responsible manufacturing and products simply too good not to buzz about. Sarah has two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Public Relations and English from Drake University, but has been writing since age 8. Sarah’s favorite aspects of her role as associate editor are the dynamic industry wavemakers she gets to know, and the journeys and stories that make their products noteworthy.

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