|
|
 |
 |
Americans are pretty insecure when it comes to wine. We still place undue importance on the bottles and labels. Plus, we do silly things like "scoring" wines and then believe that those scores actually mean something. We settle comfortably into our prejudices and biases about wine quickly and easily. It requires colossal effort and the patience of Job to get folks to think and taste outside the box when it comes to wine. Well, now it's time to get back in the box - bag-in-the-box that is.
For most American consumers, bag-in-the-box wines and screw caps have a déclassé image, having been associated in the U.S. with cheap, sweet wines, sold mostly in supermarkets and low-end liquor stores. At one time those associations were justified. However, what might be surprising for many American wine drinkers is that boxes make great wine vessels! It's an innovation claimed by the Australians, which they say dates back 30 years.
Nowadays, we see exceptionally high quality wines finished in screw caps and more and more high quality, vintage dated wines in the boxed wine format. A recent tasting featured 30 bag-in-the-box wines, all of them serious entries from France, Spain and Italy. In nearly every case, tasters preferred wines sampled from the bag-in-the-box format to the same wine sampled from bottles.
High-end boxed wine has been popular in Europe and Australia for years. In Australia, boxes have half the wine market. In Britain, the market for boxed wine is growing twice as fast as that for bottled wine. So it's not surprising to see some of these wines arriving on US shores, as well as more and more California producers offering their vintage dated products in bag-in-the-box format.
Aside from low price, boxed wine has a key advantage over bottled wine in that the wine will keep fresh much longer after opening. The vacuum-sealed bag inside the box prevents oxidation, which normally spoils a bottled wine within a few days after opening. Once opened, most boxed wine will stay fresh up to four weeks. People who drink fine wine are able to enjoy a glass anytime without committing to an entire bottle. Bag-in-the-box wines should be consumed within a year of when they're packaged, especially if storage conditions are less than optimal -- too warm, for example.
|
|
|
|
Guy du Vin Home | Wines For Sale | About | The Wine Clubs | Contact Guy du Vin | FAQ | Free Wine! | Awards | Site Search | Newsletter Archives | Musings | Links |
Wines with Soul
Guy du Vin
0224 SW Hamilton Street, Suite 100
Portland, OR 97239
Phone: 971.244.1596
Fax: 503.296.2651
Email: sales@guyduvin.com
© Copyright 2002-2006 Guy du Vin, LLC. All rights reserved
Permission is granted to view, electronically copy and print in hard copy portions of this Web site for the sole purpose of placing an order with Guy du Vin, or using this Web site as a resource for doing business with Guy du Vin. Any other use of material on this Web site, including reproduction for purposes other than those noted above, modification, distribution, or republication, without the prior written permission of Guy du Vin is strictly prohibited.
Guy du Vin is a registered trademark of David Holstrom and used by Guy du Vin under license. Other elements of this Web site, including its overall appearance, are the trade dress of Guy du Vin. Other trademarks and trade names that may be used in this site refer to either the entities claiming the marks or names of their products. Guy du Vin disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
This site and its contents are provided on an "AS IS" basis without representations or warranties of any kind with respect to the operation of this site, or the information, content, materials, or products included on this site. Guy du Vin disclaims all such representations and warranties, express or implied. In addition, Guy du Vin does not represent or warrant that the information accessible via this site is accurate, complete or current. This site may contain technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Guy du Vin assumes no responsibility for and disclaims all liability for errors and omissions in the information accessible in this site. Users of this site assume all risk concerning the accuracy and suitability of the information accessible via this site. All information on this site, including prices, is subject to change without notice.
Neither Guy du Vin, LLC nor any of its members, managers, employees or other representatives will be liable for damages arising out of or in connection with the use of this site. This is a comprehensive limitation of liability that applies to all damages of any kind, including (without limitation) compensatory, direct, indirect or consequential damages, loss of data, income or profit, loss of or damage to persons or property and claims of third parties.
|
|
