It’s hard to admit failure. Especially if you’re not sure where the fault lies. I was truly excited about this wine coming to market. The primary image was striking. The colours bold and bright. The visual reference was authentic to the region and the product was of excellent quality from a respected producer. Why were sales disappointing?

Look at the bottle. If you’re familiar with wine bottles you’ll notice this one has an odd shape. That’s because it’s made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic. At the time this product was introduced there was an environmental initiative to reduce heavy glass packaging. The brand was asked by a large purchaser to answer that call. But the demand from consumers just wasn’t strong enough. Especially with multiple products competing for this unproven demand. None remain in the market.

So, what if? That’s the question I still ask myself. What if this wine had been sold in regular bottles? Would it have been successful? Unfortunately, I’ll never know.