Australian winemaker Palandri Wines has developed a new wine bottle made from a plastic and aluminium material that can both be recycled and save the firm costs.

The packaging was first developed by a Japanese firm and is already used for fruit juices, yoghurts and sports drinks but Palandri's use of the pouch-type package for bottling wine is a first.

It says it could see export earnings increase by up to A$32 million (€19.1m) in the next two years as a result of the innovation.

“There is a need worldwide for greater environmental responsibility and this packaging meets that need,” said chief executive Darrel Jarvis.

The firm claims there is no difference in quality and taste when compared to the traditional bottled wine.

“We have been very careful to ensure the quality and taste … is exactly what you get in the Baldivis Estate bottles,” said Palandri chief operations officer Gordon Grant.

“Over the 18 month development of this project, we have been evaluating the wine packaged in the Cheer Pack and have seen no deterioration in quality,” he added.

While the shelf life of 12 to 24 months is shorter than some bottled wine, the product is designed for early drinking, he said.

The company has already seen strong demand for the bottle from Canada, the market that triggered the two-year product development when the Ontario government asked the liquor control board to find eco-friendly packaging to reduce landfill space.

The bottles only take up two thirds of the space of the traditional glass bottle and weigh significantly less - a 12-pack carton of wine in the new packaging weighs just 9.8kg compared with 19kg for a carton of glass wine bottles.

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