Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/369547
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m S e p t - O c t 2 014 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 5 5 lternative wine packaging is commonly used by larger-production wineries that have the scale and resources to invest in specialized filling equip- ment and large orders of packaging material to make it cost effective. However, small wineries now have an opportunity to try smaller-quantity runs of plastic pouch packaging. AstraPouch North America, founded in 2009 by Dave Moynihan, has introduced affordable – and in some locations, rentable – filling equipment. While Moynihan said he welcomes sales of large-volume pouch orders and high-speed fillers to large wineries, he also recog- nizes that there are thousands of small wineries that would like to try alternative packaging. With this in mind, the company teamed with TORR Industries of Redding, Calif., to manufacture pouch- and bag-filling equipment sold under the AstroFill line, which ranges from manual table-top filling stands to semi-automatic, higher-speed units that can fill eight 1.5 L pouches per minute. In addition to pre-printed pouches with front and back graphics available with high-volume orders, AstraPouch sells small quantities of blank, label-ready pouches that allow small producers to try the package and get into the market. The volume amount is print- ed on each label-ready pouch. It can be filled with the same wine already in a bottle, with the pressure-sensi- tive bottle label attached to the pouch, then be legally sold in the tasting room. FILLING EQUIPMENT AND OPERATION The AstroFill 1000 sells for about $2,400. It can fill AstroPaqs ranging from 750 mL to 3.0 L without retool- ing. It can also fill AstraPouch's newer line of Astro- Bags, designed for bag-in-box (BIB) packages, for bags ranging from 3.0 L to 9.0 L. This is a table-top, single- head manual filler. All piping and the fill canister are 316 stainless steel, and all plastic and flexible lines are FDA- approved food-grade materials. The unit uses no power, but compressed air and nitrogen gas are required with the vacuum and nitrogen purge option that is operated by foot pedals, to open the pouch and displace oxygen using nitrogen as the inert gas, just prior to filling. The operator loads each bag into a spout gripper that holds the bag for filling. The spout tap is manu- ally removed and set aside. A preset volume of wine is measured into the fill tank by visually observing the volume on the sight gauge on the side of the fill tank. The gauge has adjustable preset levels corresponding to the bag volume being filled. The fill spout is manually placed into the bag open- ing and the preset volume is transferred into the bag. The spout tap is then manually placed back into the spout opening to cap the pouch, and a lever on the filler unit is used to press down and lock it in place SMALL IN THE SIERRAS Crystal Basin Cellars in Camino, Calif., in the Sierra Foothills region, has been filling and selling wine in 1.5 L AstroPaqs for three years. The pouch wine has its own label, Chateau Meau-Faux, a red blend now also packaged in 3.0 L AstroPaq. The winery purchases blank white AstroPaqs and attaches labels by hand to each bag prior to filling. Winery owner Mike Owen + Pouch packaging is commonly used by larger-pro- duction wineries that can afford to invest in special- ized filling equipment. + AstraPouch has introduced affordable filling equip- ment suitable for small wineries. + Because it is lightweight and flexible, pouch pack- aging is being embraced by small wineries located near popular outdoor recreation areas. + Starter kits allow a small winery to test the package and customer interest. AT A GLANCE Crystal Basin cellar worker Dan Stites fills a 1.5 L AstroPaq pouch using the winery's AstroFill 1000 filler. Photo: Ted Rieger