Accolade Wines takes the bottle out of wine

Accolade Wines has launched a pilot program and the world's first closed-loop distribution system in wine. The trial will be conducted under the Banrock Station brand and run through on-premise venues in Sydney.

Banrock Station’s Pinot Grigio, Rosé and Pinot Noir wines will be delivered to on-premise customers in Ecospirits’ Ecotote format* (above left), a reusable 4.5 litre glass container, instead of individual 750ml wine bottles. Using Ecospirits technology, wine will be dispensed using the Ecospirits' SmartPour vessels (above right) and re-bottled.

Once emptied, the Ecototes are returned to the plant, sanitised and refilled, in line with bottling standards of leading organic and biodynamic wine certifications. The new Ecoplant is a semi-automated, containerised wine and spirits processing facility that generates high purity nitrogen gas for Ecotote filling and wine blanketing. It complies with leading European Union and Australia-New Zealand standards for food grade processing, and delivers gold standard hygiene and preservation. 

Andrew Clarke, Managing Director ANZ of Accolade Wines shares, “We know that consumers are increasingly conscious of the impact their choices are having on the environment. The new Banrock Station Ecotote will provide that environmentally friendly choice alongside a cost advantage. It’s a win-win for everyone.

“This strategic partnership is part of Accolade’s global sustainability journey. We are intent on continually innovating our entire supply chain to provide our customers with leading sustainable offerings."

Ecospirits and Accolade will collaborate on a study of the lifecycle reduction in single waste and carbon footprint associated with closed loop distribution of the Banrock Station wines.

The pilot is advantageous from both a financial and environmental perspective.

With over 30 billion single use glass wine bottles produced each year, it is hoped that the pilot program will revolutionise the way in which wine is delivered to venues globally, significantly reducing the industry’s impact on the environment. 

The Banrock Station Ecotote pilot program will roll out in venues around Sydney in the coming months, and is expcted to extend nationally, and across other leading Accolade brands, in the future.

In Europe, Accolade Wines has proudly been carbon neutral since 2020 and is making significant movements in the southern hemisphere to reduce its carbon footprint. 

Under the sustainable global strategy Making Every Drop Count, the company states they are determined to do more, with the ambition to make the wine industry more sustainable. 

Paul Gabie, ecoSPIRITS CEO notes, “The development of Ecospirits' circular wine packaging technology has been one of the most exciting projects in our history. Our solution blends extraordinary quality, reliable preservation and transformative cost and carbon footprint reduction – and leverages the Ecospirits global network of closed loop service.” 

“As one of the biggest and most innovative wine companies in the world, Accolade Wines was an obvious partner to work with on this launch. Their commitment to sustainability in packaging – and beyond – is genuine and of global impact. We can’t wait to see the uptake of this world-first in wine around Australia and globally.”

Ecospirits' Circular Wine Packaging Technology  

Designed specifically for wines, the Ecotote has a stainless-steel cap liner to comply with wine contact material standards and a tinted internal glass vessel to ensure ultraviolet protection for wines during transport and storage. It includes all the features of the predecessor, the Ecotote 3.0S, that is used for spirits, including global cloud-based tracking, shock and tamper-resistant features, and a 4.5L volume for efficient handling and transportation.

With certified winemakers in mind, the new circular wine solution offers full lifecycle wine preservation from winery to point of service, delivering high standards of hygiene, oxidation, temperature, and ultraviolet protection for wines distributed in the closed loop system. Bottle presentation and consumer brand experience in hospitality venues are preserved, a distinct difference from existing keg and tapped wine solutions. Wines that become available in Ecospirits global closed loop network will now benefit from the same cost and carbon footprint reduction as premium spirits.

For on-premise venues and trade information, please contact, Derek Burden at Accolade Wines.

*patent pending