SALES OF GLASS BOTTLED WINE HIT 686 MILLION BOTTLES IN 2006

The consumption of glass bottled wine in Spain increased by 1.58 million bottles in 2006, hitting 686 million bottles, according to the consolidated results of the National Association of Automatic Glass Packaging Producers, Anfevi.

This growth means a sales increase of more than ten million bottles with respect to 2005, which confirms the data concluded by the study of Perfiles Institute for Anfevi. This reveals that 85% of the Spanish people prefer glass over any other material to contain wine.

According to Juan Martín Cano, manager of Anfevi, "the glass bottle belongs to the product. Wine is a aliving product which needs glass to evolve. It is not only a simple container but an integrated part of the product, constituting an indivisible pair."

Juan Martín Cano also underlines that "glass has always been seen by the consumers as the perfect wine container, because it does not only keep intact all wine characteristics but, besides, its sealing system, generally made of cork, stresses the smell, taste and body wine qualities. This does not happen with other kind of materials".

Anfevi has increased its sales during 2006 by 3.5%, producing 6877 million glass bottles, 237 million more than in 2005. This data shows the solidity of a mature sector that directly employs more than 4000 people in Spain. Furthermore, the companies integrated in Anfevi have sold 2.18 million tonnes in 2006, nearly more than 50.000 than in the previous year.