Résumé
How could the wine industry be more sustainable? To answer this, an Interreg French‐Swiss research project gathered skills to help a French keg producer and a Swiss wine distributor make their innovation more ecological, social and economical. What innovation? A reusable plastic keg with a disposable airtight pouch inside, which use would benefit all wine industry stakeholders. The Changins School of Viticulture and Oenology tested the suitability of this solution for the conservation and consumption of wines, by chemical and sensory analysis. The nature of keg materials was studied in different storage conditions for several months. Results confirmed the capacity of the keg to protect wines against oxidation. A HACCP approach was also carried out to ensure the quality of the wine, from the conditioning step to the dispensing system. To check that kegged wine meets the market demand, Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne did market studies on 336 wine consumers and 104 owners and general managers of Swiss food and beverage establishments. Results show that the Swiss market is mature for adopting this innovation. 96% of wine consumers are in favour of wine served on tap namely for its sustainability. 64% of restaurateurs are in favour of adopting it, namely for economic savings. Finally, to assess the environmental impacts of this keg compared to glass bottles and help its ecoconception, IFV did a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Six indicators were considered as relevant. The results show an environmental benefit of the reusable keg except for resources depletion. A shift from aluminium to plastic pouch and from single use to washable pouch’s head could improve the keg environmental profile.