sales & marketing Single-Serve Wine-in-Tubes Brings Tasting Room Pours to the Consumer’s Home

Michael S. Lasky

Single-serve wine containers for wine have been around for decades but it seems that their popularity has reached a tipping point. Since the pandemic, there has been more interest in the packaging from wineries, resulting in the development of more sustainable, small-format packages from manufacturers.

One format, wine in tubes, has served European wineries and distilleries since 2015, offering glass and recycled plastic tubes in 50ml and 100ml capacities. Now, the company has expanded its operations to the United States with the construction of a new production facility in Napa, Calif.

Tubes USA recruited single-serve maven Jordon Kivelstadt, founder of Free Flow Wines, as its managing director for his expertise in the expansion of alternative packaging.

“I think that the wine consumer’s behavior is changing and this idea of both sampling and small consumption, of having a glass instead of a bottle at a time has fueled a lot of the innovation in the industry over the last few years,” Kivelstadt said. “More frequently people want a glass of wine, rather than a bottle of wine.

“There are a wide variety of wineries and consumers at the end of the day interested in small-format wine consumption, whether it be to sample wines they haven’t tried before, or to enjoy a glass of wine at home without the entire bottle going bad.”

Thus, the concept of a 100ml, sample-size tube seems like a perfect fit “It’s certainly more expensive to put your wine in a smaller format product,” Kivelstadt admitted. On the other hand, he pointed out that Keurig coffee and similar mass-market products have proven a company can actually charge more to the customer on a per liquid ounce basis if it offers them the opportunity for variety and ability to pick and choose.

So yes, it will be even more expensive on a liquid-ounce basis to package wine in tubes, but a certain segment of consumers has shown a willingness to pay for that option. Tubes’ European business has demonstrated there definitely is demand in the marketplace for this. What’s more, Kivelstadt pointed out that U.S. based Vinebox, a subscription that sells wine in tubes, offers another great example of consumers willing to pay a premium for sample-size containers.

The Tubes sales pitch touts the benefits to this 100ml alternative. The tube, which by its sheer size and weight is more sustainable, is easier and more affordable to ship, and provides a convenient way for new customers, wine club members or retail buyers a chance to taste wines before committing to full-size bottle purchases.