To capsule … or not to capsule

Wines & Vines, August, 1996 by Larry Walker

Probably the turning point came when lead capsules were banned and someone actually had to start thinking about what should replace them. The second major shift came three years ago when the Robert Mondavi Winery released bottlings of Carneros Chardonnay and Pinot noir, sans capsule. The move was made for several reasons, including a sound environment approach to packaging. The wines were well-received and by early 1994, the Mondavi Napa Valley wines were also on the market in a flange bottle, without capsules.

Clay Gregory, director of marketing at Mondavi's Oakville winery, said the new look was very well-received. "I'd say that comments from trade and consumers are 99% positive," he said. Not that the package hasn't had its problems, but those relate more to the flange bottle top than the lack of capsule.

Gregory said some of the most positive response had come from the environmental point of view, since everything in the new package can be recycled. "The whole thing came about because of environmental concerns," Gregory recalled. Michael and Tim Mondavi had a meeting with designer Susan Pate. They were looking for some way to put out the news about the positive environmental things the family was doing in farming its vineyards. They didn't feel that they had done a good job of getting that point across to the consumer. As a result of that meeting, according to Gregory, the idea of having the package become a visible symbol of that environmental concern was born.

Pate designed the first labels for the Carneros bottlings based on the colors of the soil of the Carneros vineyards; as a follow-up, the idea of eliminating any kind of metal or plastic capsule came about.

In the past three years, the Mondavi look has been adapted by a number of wineries. "There is no doubt that the look is losing its distinctive quality," Gregory said. "And it can be frustrating when everyone comes along and starts doing the same thing you are doing. But we don't really mind that. We like to think we are contributing to the industry."

On the other hand, Carolyn Wente of Wente Vineyards in Livermore said she believed the new Wente look - flange bottles, no capsules - was making a clear statement in the export market, a critical area for Wente.

"I think they are getting a lot of attention. The bottles make an especially strong statement, giving our packages a definite 'California' look. The rest of the world is still pretty traditional so people see Wente and say 'Wow, that's California.' It emphasizes the specialness of California wines."

Wente introduced its new package, along with a label redesign, in March of this year and the entire Wente line will follow. Carolyn Wente said despite the number of "new look" bottlings on the national market, she believes it is still a productive package. "Our package stands out from the Mondavi package or the Kendall-Jackson because of our antique green glass."

Mondavi isn't standing still with its design. Gregory said that there is another new package coming up for a reserve Fume blanc, but it stays within the parameters of the present package. "There are those who think that wine may need a new package every year, like a new model from Detroit, but we don't really take that approach. We are interested in doing things better, of doing different things, but within our traditonal look." Gregory said that they are looking for different things all the time, ways to separate their wine from other brands, like the elaborate bottling of the La Familia line.

Is the new look losing its appeal to the consumer? Lou Fornace, beverage buyer at Cost Plus in Corte Madera, Calif. believes it has lost some of its impact.

"At first, it was a novelty. And it does look good. It's a cleaner look and I think people were curious, but now it's just another bottle. When a company like Fetzer brings it out, you know its pretty mainstream," Fornace said.

One fallout from the new look is that the cork has become a visible part of the package design. "The corks really have to look good," Gregory said. "The design on the cork is much more elaborate because, suddenly, it has become visible to the consumer."

Bill Preston of APM, Inc., a major cork supplier, agreed. Asked if the emphasis on a uniform cork had put a strain on the supply he said that it had not. "I would guess that, overall, the clear capsule or no capsule look has elevated the quality of corks. People have to have a cork that isn't ugly. And the printing on the cork has gotten more complex, the cork is much more decorative.

"There are a number of experiments going on now involving agglomerate corks because they have a more uniform appearance and are also cost effective. The agglomerates take printing well," he added.

As for capsules, Preston said he had at least 15 customers buying clear capsules. "Not all are using the flange bottles. In fact, I'm getting some feedback that the flange look has become too common. But the clear capsule is gathering momentum." Preston said that one new wrinkle in the clear capsule was a band of printing at the bottom that looks like a neck band.