Beverage Bulletin

No More Pesky Wine Bottles: Palandri Wines of Australia believes it can significantly boost sales during the next several years by pushing an alternative to the traditional wine bottle. Palandri has developed a recyclable plastic and aluminum package it calls the "Cheer Pack" for its Baldivis Estate brand. The winery sees the package as easier for consumers to use and believes it could open up airline in-flight business because it saves weight and space when compared to traditional bottles. Palandri is exporting 3,500 cases of merlot, shiraz and chardonnay to Canada as the first major overseas shipment of the new package.


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Pittsburgh's Plan: The bankrupt Pittsburgh Brewing Co. said this week it will present a financing plan for $7 million to $10 million to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge M. Bruce McCullough by the end of November. The brewery, which makes the Iron City brand, says it has an investment group from outside of Pittsburgh ready to step forward with the funding. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in December 2005.

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Polish Brewery Upgrade: Three breweries in Poland that produce the Tyskie brand are about to get a $100 million upgrade thanks to parent SABMiller. Brewery capacity of a Krakow-area plant is being expanded to become SABMiller's largest European operation. Tyskie sales in the United Kingdom have increased dramatically this year and SABMiller plans to roll the brand out across the U.S. in 2007.

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Government Issued Vodka: On the heels of recent poisoning deaths involving bootleg vodka, Rosspirtprom, the Russia state-owned alcohol producer, says it will produce a $3 per half-liter bottle "people's vodka." The company says the vodka is basically being sold at cost to eliminate the need for Russians to turn to bootleg vodka, which is often not safe.

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Bud or Bordeaux?: Saying it needs an alternative to compete with beer, French company Michael Paetzold has launched a 6 percent alcohol by volume wine -- with one twist: by law the new drink is too low in alcohol to be called wine, so the company is calling it Lir. The company is marketing red, white and rose Lir and expects to sell a million bottles this year. French wine consumption has dropped and the company hopes the lighter version of wine will appeal to drinkers who have reduced consumption because of health concerns and tough French driving while intoxicated laws.

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Ice Whisky: Glenora Distillery in Nova Scotia is releasing a first among the various wood finishes in the spirit world: Glen Breton Ice, a single malt whisky aged in an ice wine barrel. Using the company's signature Glen Breton Rare 10-year-old , the brand is aged for four months in a barrel that had previously held ice wine.