Not making it bad, just a little “flatter” than it would have been if it were bottled…

Agreed Bag in Box makes for a good “Value Pack” for wine, and most definitely has a place…I don’t see the packaging format as very viable for package displacements of less than 3 litres.

As far as space goes, you’d be surprised how many homes I’ve seen, in a rather affluent area, that have full wine racks sitting on the kitchen counter by the window. Instead, box wine can store comfortably in a sealed cool pantry, a closet on the floor, or in the fridge, all great options to avoid compromising wine quality.

A reader on the original post commented on the romance of opening a bottle with a cork and mastering the pour. I tend to find the romance comes from the quality of the wine, food, and company of the evening, not from the storage medium. Perhaps it can be illustrated this way: Is the romance found in the plastic food wrapper you bring home from the store, or the experience you have when you enjoy your first bite?

Better quality wine in box is long overdue, and today’s consumer isn’t foolish enough to turn up their nose at something that has been associated with Plonk in the past, they’ll just have to be marketed to correctly. The acceptance of higher end wines sealed with twist-offs is proof that they can.

Do you know what % of carbon emissions are from the transportation of a glass bottle of wine as a portion of the overall production and transportation?

Are any wineries addressing the production issue?
I can picture it now, Napa Valley covered in lovely windmills.

Kori Faltz

Great job all around on this article, post and discussion. Thank you for your detailed research, reasoned approach, and head-on tackling of sometimes aggressive comments. The popularity of the article and follow-up are well-deserved.

Personally, as a consumer, I would like to see more wine package options. I like to drink a glass of wine with dinner every night. I want it to be pleasant, drinkable, go well with food, and not break the bank. Also, because I’m only drinking one glass, I need it to keep for a few days in the fridge — a problem with bottled wine. The fact that boxed wine accomplishes this and is also potentially less expensive and more “green” makes it a great solution. I’d like to see greater variety of wines in boxes of different sizes. 3 liters is daunting, and it would get boring drinking the same wine for weeks. 1 liter and smaller would be perfect. I have to try that Yellow+Blue malbec.

The only concern that gives me pause is the short shelf life issue raised by Morton Leslie. Does boxed wine have a shorter shelf life than bottled? Why would that be?

I sense that this is on the verge of a tipping point. If the start-up costs of these package options are not prohibitive, wine suppliers would be wise to dip their toes in and gauge the market response.

But what I wonder is how/when/if the WSWA is going to get behind this trend, much less the small producers, who already have their hands full.