Banrock Station and ecoSPIRITS’ new ecoTOTE 3.0W . Image courtesy Accolade Wines.

Accolade Wines has partnered with ecoSPIRITS to launch the world’s first closed-loop distribution system in wine.

With over 30 billion single use glass wine bottles produced each year, the partnership will innovate how wine is delivered to venues globally and significantly reducing the industry’s impact on the environment.

Spearheaded by Accolade’s leading eco-wine brand, Banrock Station, a brand with a long history of environmental conservation in Australia, the process will not only offer quality and eco-friendly wine for patrons; it also offers on-premise venues a cost advantage and transformative carbon footprint reduction.

The company, headquartered in Australia, has already achieved sustainable milestones across the business including carbon neutrality in the European operations, 98 per cent recyclable packaging across Australia and Europe, and 98% landfill avoidance in Australian vineyards.

Under the closed-loop wine distribution pilot program, Australia’s first wine ecoPLANT will be located in central Sydney, making it accessible to sustainably minded bars and restaurants, and Banrock Station will be launching a trial of the ecoSPIRITS’ circular wine packaging technology, called the ecoTOTE, with Sydney-based on-premise venues in the first half of 2022.

Initially, Banrock Station’s Pinot Grigio, Rosé and Pinot Noir wines will be offered in the latest ecoTOTE 3.0W format to on-premise customers.

The wine will be transported and delivered to venues in ecoSPIRITS’ ecoTOTE format, a fully reusable 4.5-Litre glass container, instead of individual 750ml wine bottles, where it will be dispensed and re-bottled using ecoSPIRITS’ SmartPour technology.

Once emptied, ecoTOTES will be returned to the ecoPLANT, where they are sanitised and refilled, in line with bottling standards of leading organic and biodynamic wine certifications.

“We are thrilled to partner with ecoSPIRITS and bring this game changing, world-first sustainable offering to the wine industry,” managing director ANZ of Accolade Wines Andrew Clarke said.

“We know that consumers are increasingly conscious of the impact their choices are having on the environment.”

As part of the partnership, 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.

Banrock Station will be the first wine brand to launch with ecoSPIRITS’ specific wine variant of the award-winning ecoTOTE, designated the ecoTOTE 3.0W.

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.

The ecoTOTE 3.0W includes all the features of the popular 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.

The ground-breaking technologies deliver high standards of hygiene, oxidation, temperature, and ultraviolet protection for wines distributed in the closed loop system.

Amongst other innovations, ecoSPIRITS’ new circular wine technology will preserve the bottle presentation and consumer brand experience in hospitality venues, 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.

Among other technology upgrades to support premium wines, ecoSPIRITS has released a new version of its successful ecoPLANT technology that is tailored to process both wine and spirits.

The new ecoPLANT 2.0W is a semi-automated, containerised wine and spirits processing facility that generates high purity nitrogen gas for ecoTOTE filling and wine blanketing, complies with leading European Union and Australia-New Zealand standards for food grade processing, and delivers gold standard hygiene and preservation.

“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,” Paul Gabie, ecoSPIRITS CEO said.

“We look forward to seeing the roll out of the Banrock Station ecoTOTE in venues around Sydney in the coming months, with the desire to extend nationally, and across other leading Accolade brands, in the future.

“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.”

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

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