Soaring Prices for Bottles, Cases, and Cartons!

Tensions and Anxiety Remain High as Wine Industry Deals with Soaring Prices for Bottles, Cases, Cartons, and Other Wine Labels

As the wine industry deals with rising prices for bottles, cases, cartons, and other wine labels, many business owners are struggling to keep their heads above water. The cost of dry goods has increased dramatically in recent months, and it is unclear when this trend will end. This is causing a great deal of tension and anxiety among business owners, as they worry about how they will be able to survive in this difficult market.

This year soaring energy prices and lack of availability of supplies are having an unimaginable impact on the French wine industry. While the continuous increase in the price of dry materials was already making news a few months ago, with the post-covid rebound in global demand at the beginning of the year 2021, this increase now seems to be exacerbated this Spring.

Glass Bottles

French wines are typically bottled in the Spring from February to April. The problem is that there are no bottles. Turkey is among the world’s top manufacturers of glass bottles and in recent weeks, production costs have skyrocketed because of the energy required to power ovens. In response, many manufacturers have elected to turn off power to their industrial ovens in an effort to save. The result is a worldwide shortage of glass bottles.

Bottle manufacturers frequently cancel or reduce purchases, forcing wineries to modify their bottling schedule. As a result, importers who book a container two months ahead may discover that their original order is only half of what is agreed on making it difficult to fill a whole container. This adds more logical costs and problems. Tensions are high in the US markets, because there is no indication of when wine will be delivered and it’s impossible to track.

Another issue is that some glass molds for specialized bottles such as the « flûte à corset Provençal » shape, which is the “bouteille syndicale”, are located in the Ukraine and are no longer available. The factory that produces these molds was closed within the first weeks of the Russian invasion.

Fabre en Provence states, “without these bottles, it is impossible to meet the buyer’s expectations. The bottle shapes are associated with the quality and reputation that is Provence Rose.” Provence producers such as Fabre en Provence have been forced to seek out more generic bottles, such as the « Bordelaise » bottle shape, which in turn are not available. It was announced last month that it will soon be on allocations only. Producers throughout France are sitting on a large volume of wine that cannot be bottled. Importers in turn are battling the logistics difficulties.

Wine in Cans and Paper Goods

China is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of paper goods including cardboard boxes and adhesive wine labels. In recent months, containers filled with paper supplies from China have taken one to two months to arrive in port, owing to price hikes. When a wine is finally bottled, in many cases it cannot be labeled, which furthers delays in getting it into the market. Importers from foreign countries are biting their fingernails, unsure if or when their products will arrive.

Champagne Producer, Chassenay d’Arce, quotes, “we have 3 months leading time for getting the labels, neck labels printed. After the shortage due to the poor 2 consecutive harvests, tensions are extremely high here in Champagne”.

In recent months, energy costs have risen dramatically and this has had a significant impact on the costs of running a business in the wine industry. Many business owners are struggling to cope with these rising costs, and it is unclear how long this trend will continue. The impact extends from producers to agents, importers, and retail shops.

Perhaps the time has come to consider, have we reached a turning point in this industry leading us to alternative containers? I think yes even if the glass bottle will always remain as a true classical and traditional container in the wine industry.

The wine industry is facing a number of challenges at the moment. With rising costs and uncertainty about the future, businesses must be able to adapt and survive in this difficult climate. Innovation is key. We are seeing producers turning to sustainable solutions. The artisan co-operative Castelbarry put their energy into their “I love French Rosé” in a can and other alternative contents like paper bottle, bag in box and even aluminum bottles.
New cartons made solely from responsibly sourced renewable or recycled materials called Tetra Paks are fully recyclable and carbon neutral. Tetra Pak delivers the world’s most sustainable package available in wine today and should be looked at more closely.



At MURIELLE CLAUDEL Wines, I am committed to working with producers who are embracing these new technologies and providing valuable opportunities for my importer partners abroad.

Only time will tell how the industry will cope with these challenges, but one thing is certain: we’re in this together. Innovation and cooperation are critical for success.


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