To further trim raw material costs, which eat up 50% of revenue, he worked with engineers to decrease the standard half-liter bottleweight from 23 grams to 12 grams (nearest competitor Crystal Geyser has one weighing 14 grams).
Full disclosure, the wines were not tasted blind, so guests were indeed influenced by the weight of the bottle and the hauteur of the label we all know that heavy bottles and fancy labels tend to make us think the wine is expensive.
Lighter products can lessen energy needed in the manufacturing process, and "within the last 20 years the average weight of a glass bottle has been reduced by approximately 30%, " Hoffmeyer Boas said.