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.