Coles Liquor and Wirra Wirra join Bottle Weight Accord

By Oliver Catchpole

Published: 23 October, 2025

The Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) has announced two new signatories to its Bottle Weight Accord (BWA). Coles Liquor, operator of the over 900 Liquorland stores in Australia, and Wirra Wirra vineyards have joined others such as Waitrose, Virgin Wines and the Endeavour Group in adding their name to the initiative.

The Accord, which was launched in November 2023, commits participants to reducing the average weight of their 750ml still wine bottles to below 420g by the end of 2026.

These additions see the BWA now covers more than 1.5bn bottles of still wine worldwide.

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As one of Australia’s biggest drinks retailers, Coles Liquor’s range includes many exclusive wine brands, including James Busby, Winton Road, Land of Giants, Canard-Duchêne, Whispers and Rock Paper Scissors.

Shae Courtney, national quality and sustainability manager at Coles Liquor, explained: “Joining the Bottle Weight Accord reflects Coles Liquor’s broader commitment to packaging sustainability through innovation and collaboration with industry partners.

“It also recognises the progress we have made on the packaging of our portfolio of fabulous wines – last financial year we reached a milestone of having 98.7% of Coles Liquor Own Brand primary packaging being recyclable, reusable or compostable.

"By committing to lighter bottle designs, we aim to reduce packaging material and lower emissions from transport. We also want to support industry more broadly by encouraging continued investment in the design, use, and recovery of packaging across the liquor industry."

Wirra Wirra Vineyards, which was established in 1894 in McLaren Vale, produces a range of both red and white wines from the Adelaide Hills.

Commenting on its new commitment, Luke Tyler, sales and marketing director for Wirra Wirra, said “We’re proud to join the Bottle Weight Accord as part of our ongoing commitment to reducing environmental impact. While eager to learn from others, we also look forward to sharing our own insights. We’ve recently introduced a new lightweight proprietary bottle (410g) without compromising its iconic design.

“This follows another significant lightweighting project collaboration on a Liquorland exclusive Wirra Wirra McLaren Vale Vineyards Shiraz. Endorsement and encouragement from major retail partners such as Coles is vital to give wineries the confidence to take these important steps.”

The SWR is an independent, international platform dedicated to promoting sustainability in the wine industry, through initiatives and collaboration.

It will be unveiling another Bottle Weight Accord aimed at producers and retailers of sparkling wine before the end of 2025.

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