Authenticity and sustainable winemaking have been trending for years, and now winemakers are focusing on newer and lighter packaging to enhance the appeal of their wines and help make a difference on their environmental impact to the world.

The award-winning Donnafugata, a family-owned winery is a leader of authentic and sustainable winemaking in Sicily. Recently they released new innovative packaging for their 2023 vintage of their Lighea white wine.

Lighea White Wine

“It is a wine that looks to the future,” says Donnafugata CEO and family-proprietor Josè Rallo. “The introduction of the Cento per Cento Sicilia bottle and the Nomacorc Ocean closure are innovations in line with the sustainable development goals of the UN 2030 Agenda. These decisions add to over 30 years of good practices from reducing the vineyard’s environmental impact to the production of clean energy, as well as the protection of biodiversity to support the land. It is our ongoing commitment that has enabled us to obtain SOStain certification for sustainable Sicilian winemaking.”

This light white wine is made from Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria) grapes, providing a pleasing aromatic Mediterranean wine. Its freshness and pleasant mineral finish is from the grapes growing on Pantelleria’s volcanic island. The vines are cultivated using the traditional alberello method, an agricultural practice with Unesco Cultural Heritage status.

“The extreme nature of Pantelleria has always represented a real challenge and Lighea is a truly authentic interpretation of this land,” comments Antonio Rallo, Donnafugata Winemaker, CEO and family-proprietor. “Growing the vines so low and in terraces requires a lot of labor, from pruning and harvesting to the essential maintenance of kilometers of dry- lava stone walls. Knowledge, hard work, and dedication are the basis of the teamwork that makes it possible to create unique and highly distinctive products like Lighea.”

Sustainability

Lighea Wine is bottled in the Cento per Cento Sicilia (‘100% Sicilian’) Burgundy bottle and produced exclusively on the island of Sicily from recycled glass. This lighter bottle weighs 410 grams, instead of a typical wine bottle weighing 550 grams.

Lighea also uses a Nomacorc Ocean closure that is produced by recycling plastic collected in coastal areas. This helps to protect the marine ecosystem. The aroma and tasting notes include unmistakable hints of fresh orange blossom, citrus and floral nuances. This wine’s remarkable freshness, and pleasant mineral finish is ideal with charcuterie, salads, grilled proteins, creamy gnocchi and olive oil cake.

Inspiring Label

The new Lighea 2023 packaging features the eyes of a bewitching mermaid. This attractive label showcases the wine’s personality. Staying true to the elegant original design drawn by artist Stefano Vitale, the background of the new label depicts a Pantelleria dawn.

Lighea 2023 is available now in New York for an SRP of $24.99, with nationwide availability starting in early 2025.

BOGLE FAMILY WINE – Element[AL] Wine

Known as a pioneer in California’s wine industry, Bogle Family Wine Collection is changing the wine industry in a positive way by offering a new innovation in wine bottling. Their new Element[AL] wine is lightweight and infinitely recyclable. The 750ml aluminum bottle has been a game changer for 2024.

“ElementAL is more than just the launch of a new wine brand, it’s the beginning of a new way of thinking for the wine industry,” said Jody Bogle, Vice President of Consumer Relations at Bogle Family Wine Collection. “We began by looking for ways to lightweight our existing glass bottles, and that led to a more radical approach that we feel consumers are ready to embrace.”

This new packaging is more environmentally friendly. It’s a shatter resistant answer that is inspiring the wine industry and consumers to rethink glass bottles.

The new sleek silhouette aluminum wine bottle is reminiscent of traditional glass wine bottles without compromising on taste, design, and function.

Element[AL]’s giftable bottles are label-less. The 360° hard-drawn deco-design is printed directly on the bottle. Each varietal has its own unique color design.

Through internal research and a multitude of blind taste tests, Element[AL] wines provide no perceived taste difference between aluminum and glass bottles. These tests were performed on wines that were aged for one year in glass versus aluminum bottles.

ALUMINUM VS GLASS BOTTLES

Glass bottles are the biggest carbon footprint contributor in the wine industry. Since the majority of U.S. wine is purchased when it is young, rather than aged to fine wine, the wine industry needs to rethink bottling for everyday wine enjoyment. According to The Aluminum Association, ‘ Aluminum is one of the most recycled and recyclable materials in use today.’ Aluminum can be recycled indefinitely without losing its quality. The recycling rates of aluminum are higher than glass recycling rates, and for municipal recycling programs, aluminum is more valuable than glass or plastic. Some municipalities no longer recycle glass.

ELEMENT[AL] VARIETALS

The barrel crafted ELEMENT[AL] Chardonnay is fermented in both French and American oak barrels. This provides a sophisticated New World approachable wine offering pleasing aromas of summer stone fruit. Tasting notes include hints of ripe white peach, crisp green apple and a whisper of vanilla flavors. The enjoyable finish lingers with each sip. Enjoy this wine with a cheese plate, garden salad, barbecued chicken or grilled fish.

The fresh and graceful ELEMENT[AL] Pinot Grigio is fermented in 100% stainless steel with an addition of Albarino grapes to provide a vibrant enhancement in flavor. The pale golden hue provides pleasing notes of melon, honey and orange blossom.

ELEMENT[AL] Pinot-Noir is made with grapes that grow in a cool climate of fog and wind in the morning, before the California sunshine warms up the vines to plump and ripen these beautiful dark purple Pinot Noir grapes. Their juice is aged in both American and French oak barrels inspiring a melange of Continental sophistication and alluring New World approachability. There is a slight red berry aroma and notes of toasted vanilla. Tasting experiences include a ripe strawberry essence and pinch of allspice with each sip. This elegant wine can be enjoyed with a cheese and charcuterie board, pasta Bolognese, roasted duck in a cherry sauce and a slice of chocolate cake.

ELEMENT[AL] Rose’

The Provencal-style rose’ wine is developed in stainless steel. This gorgeous ruby red hue and fragrant floral aroma provides refreshing scents of ripe watermelon, strawberries, and spring blossoms. This wine is ideal with crudités and hummus, ceviche, shrimp cocktail, Nicoise salad, pasta primavera, grilled chicken, shrimp and fish.

Element[AL] Wines has a SRP of $15.99, and is available in-store with major retailers nationwide starting in March 2024.