South African wine launches in long life PET

A new range of South African wines packaged in lightweight long-life PET is being launched by Roger Harris Wines and PaulSapin at the South African Mega Tasting, Brompton Hall, Earls Court, London on October 13

The Khulu Sky range offers three vibrant, WIETA certifiec wines from the Cape – a refreshing aromatic Chenin Blanc, a smooth and elegant Shiraz with luscious berry aromas; and a smooth, rounded and fruity Pinotage Rosé. The wines are being launched in Paul Sapin’s unique 75cl and 18.7cl multi-layer PET bottles, which are proven to offer longer shelf-life than standard PET, keeping wine fresh.

The lightweight, unbreakable bottle means Khulu Sky is ideal for informal dining and serving outdoors, at events, sports venues and pub gardens thereby opening up an array of opportunities for both the on and off trade looking to make the most of next summer’s South African football fever.

The range is also perfect for consumers wanting to grab a bottle and go, with no clanking or breakage on the way. The PE screwtop capsule is easy to open and reseal and makes the entire bottle 100% recyclable.

Clare Montgomery, sales director at Roger Harris Wines is excited by the new range: “The Khulu Sky range is all about fun and freedom. ‘Khulu’ means wonderful in Zulu and we use it to describe the vast sky that serves as the backdrop for South Africa ’s stunning landscapes. We want people to get out and about and enjoy drinking Khulu Sky wherever they are,” she said.

Khulu Sky offers considerable environmental advantages, as the lightweight bottle can help cut the carbon footprint in transportation and distribution, fewer carbon emissions are produced than in manufacture of glass, and the entire bottle can be recycled.

The wines are also produced under WIETA certification, a non-profit, voluntary association of various stakeholders in the South African wine industry, all of whom are committed to the promotion of ethical trade in this sector.

Khulu Sky is now available in the UK through Roger Harris Wines clare@rogerharriswines.co.uk

About Roger Harris Wines
Roger Harris Wines is a family-owned business that is now in its 35th year of supplying to the UK wine trade. The knowledgeable team has developed industry expertise and high levels of customer service, winning the 2004 International Wine Challenge Specialist Wine Merchant of the Year award.


About Paul Sapin
Paul Sapin SA is located in Mâcon, France with a wine heritage dating back to 1889. In 2008 the company turned over €24 million, producing 40 million bottles, 12 million in PET. Led by Thierry Coulon, Paul Sapin SA has developed expertise in small bottle production and a production process to enhance quality and extend the shelf life of wine.

The Multi-Layer PET bottle (MLP), unique to Paul Sapin SA, provides a complete mechanical barrier to oxygen with no scavenger required, and is proven to be over five times more effective than standard mono-layer PET. Latest research by an independent laboratory shows wine in the MLP stays fresh for at least two years. La Perle bottles carry the MLP logo, guaranteeing shelf-life for up to 12 months.

Green credentials - the compact MLP bottle is 35% lighter than a full 465g, 75cl glass bottle, equating to loading 10,000 more bottles into each transportation container. One complete freight journey from France is therefore eliminated for every three journeys. La Perle’s MLP bottle with its PE capsule is 100% recyclable, whilst aluminium capsules need to be removed for separate recycling.

1 September 2009 - Felicity Murray