WINE PACKAGING: More Than Just a Pretty Face

By: Cheryl Gray

Wineries depend upon the knowledge of packaging companies, not only to boost their products’ aesthetic quality but also to maximize time and minimize product loss when it comes to filling, sealing, shipping and other aspects of the packaging process.

Among the experts is A-B-C Packaging Machine Corporation, based in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Bryan Sinicrope is the vice president of marketing and integrator sales. As an engineer with 46 years of industry experience, Sinicrope describes what is essential in helping wineries to get started, main- tain and eventually expand with A-B-C products and services.

“As far as essentials, I would say having clear goals on what the winery wants to accomplish is highly important. Many wineries are looking for automation to protect their employees from potential injury in handling heavy cases of glass bottles, whether filled or unfilled. Others need increased production speeds, and still, others want automated flexibility to run multiple product lines or bottle styles. So, it’s important to identify which areas will benefit most from automation. This is even more important if the winery has a conservative budget or will need to automate incrementally over time.

When working with wineries, our first priority is reviewing their needs and (if not already determined) helping them set their goals. Wineries have traditionally been labor-intensive operations, particularly for smaller producers. They may feel it is difficult to budget for automated equipment. However, once the labor, insurance and liability costs are calculated, even for low-volume wineries, automation can make good financial sense.”

Sinicrope describes the company’s vast wine packaging expertise, which he says has earned the respect of wineries that range from smaller operations to some of the most prominent names in the wine industry.

“As a supplier of secondary packaging machinery for the dry end of wineries since the early 1960s, A-B-C has extensive experience in the intricacies of wine packaging. Notably, the visual appeal of the product is paramount. Packaging machines must handle the glass gently to prevent defects that could lead to breakage and spillage on the line, in distribution or at the end user. Also, the packaging machinery must maintain optimal finished package integrity so the product looks great at the retailer with no scuffed or damaged labels or closures.

Our equipment is designed with features to protect the package throughout the packaging process and beyond so the wines reach the consumer in perfect condition. Some specific examples are our decasers and depalletizers that unload and single file bottles under complete control and with minimum contact to eliminate potential damage that can cause failure on the bottling line or in distribution.

Our case erectors have exclusive features to ensure square cases that perform bottle inserting at the packer. And all our packers are no-drop, with bottle handling devices that ensure soft loading while protecting the labels and closures, including foil closures used for sparkling wines.”