Vetropack has introduced a lighter version of the standard 0.75l Rhinewine bottle for the Austrian wine sector while adding a reusable bottle for the country’s new return scheme.
The revised bottle weighs 350g and retaining the size and shape of the existing format.
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According to the company, it is the lightest Rhinewine bottle currently available in Europe.
The lower weight is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions linked to manufacturing, transport and distribution, cutting expenditure on materials, logistics and licensing.
The product may be of particular interest in export markets where limits apply to the weight of glass packaging.
The bottle contains 80% recycled glass.
Since April 2026, it has been available in olive and cuvée.
Work on the lighter bottle started in the third quarter of 2025, followed by tests that included impact checks using the ShockQC inline sensor.
In February 2026, Vetropack produced an initial large batch for trials by selected major bottlers. The company said those tests delivered positive results.
Vetropack is producing the reusable Rhinewine bottle at its Pöchlarn plant. The olive-green returnable bottle has been available to companies in the pool scheme since early 2026.
Management of the pool has been assigned to Genossenschaft Deutscher Brunnen.
Notably, in January, Lukas Burkhardt assumed the role of CEO at Vetropack. He succeeded Johann Reiter, who retired after leading the company since 2018.
Burkhardt has been on the management board at Gerresheimer, in charge of the primary packaging glass division, since 2018.
