Boxed Wine $1 Off in Schenectady

Any readers in Schenectady, NY, here's a link to a coupon for $1.00 off boxed wine at Guidarelli's Discount Wines & Liquors. It's for 3, 4, or 5 liter box, limit of 3, good through end of January. DON'T try to print this image, it's not the valid coupon. Click on the image below to go to the site, and click on the print button there.

technorati tags: box, boxed, wine, discount, coupon

The Bag inside the Box Is Improving

Bag-in-box packaging has long been recognized to have limitations in the oxygen-barrier department. Oxygen is wine's enemy, and the imperfect oxygen barrier offered by the BiB package places serious limitations on the shelf life of a box of wine. I have seen estimates of 12 to 18 months, and I've heard that boxed wine should probably be consumed within 6 months of purchase.

Wine consumers, and the wine industry have been looking forward to promised improvements in the technology. Perhaps now some improvement is on the horizon. This press release from Rapak promises better oxygen barriers in bags and taps, and an innovative fill head which minimizes oxygenation on filling.

Another interesting point in this press release: boxed wine sales in France increased fivefold (by volume) in five years, reaching 854,000 hl by 2004.

January 23, 2007 01:00 PM Eastern Time
Thanks to Rapak – Fine Wines From France Are in the Bag
Unified Wine & Grape Symposium 2007

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bag-in-box packaging has come a long way since it first emerged as a “party pack.” Now connoisseurs can enjoy high quality French and Californian bag-in-box wines by the glass at home, thanks to companies like Rapak, one of the world’s leading suppliers of complete bag-in-box systems.

Rapak has won over leading producers in Europe such as Prodis (Carrefour Group), Chais Beaucairois (Marie-Brizard Group) and Vignerons Ardechois. These makers of fine wines are now turning to the bag-in-box format to drive market share, overcoming a traditional market reluctance to use this type of packaging. The strategy has been successful with sales of bag-in-box wines in France increasing fivefold over a five year period (from 170,000 hl in 98/99 to 854,000 hl in 03/04).

The switch of quality wines from bottle to bags in Europe comes as the result of major advances in filling and packaging technology with Rapak leading the research-based advances. Rapak is now offering this proven technology for packing quality wines in Bag in Box in the USA.

The key factor is the ability to reduce the amount of oxygen in the finished pack to minimal levels. Traditionally it has been necessary to add sulphur dioxide to ‘soak up’ oxygen, and since this can adversely affect the flavour of more sensitive quality wines it limits the range of wines able to be packed into bags. Now Rapak has introduced new technologies including:

* Enhanced oxygen barriers on the films which line the bags
* A high oxygen barrier dispense tap with simple button operation and a lift and peel security seal
* A patented Nitrogen shrouded fill head which minimizes Dissolved oxygen pickup during the filling process

The combination of these technological developments is shelf-life extension. Oxygen ingress is the major factor dictating the long-term quality of the wine, therefore reduced oxygen during filling and storage can significantly extend shelf life.

The combination of the technological advances in packaging and filling and the ready acceptance by consumers and retailers of this packaging format means bag-in-box wine is set to become an even more familiar sight on the supermarket shelf.

Thanks to Rapak -- Fine Wines From France Are in the Bag

technorati tags: box, boxed, wine, bag-in-box, Rapak

99-cent Box Wine Sucks

Well, whad'ya expect for 99 cents. Yes, that's 99 cents for THREE LITERS. We're not even talking Two Buck Chuck here. And what's more, it's imported (yes, part of that 99 cents is the price someone paid to ship this from Italy).

The wine was Terra Cotta 2001 Merlot, product of Italy.

So now I know where merlot-gone-really-bad ends it's life: at the DOLLAR STORE. I haven't been able to find this item mentioned anywhere else on the web, but Grapedonk at the WineAss vlog actually tasted it. You can skip actually watching the video, and just know that Grapedonk's verdict was:

“Rotten mineral-spirits paint-brush-smelling prune juice thing—if you see this, run!”

Wineass - Wine Reviews, Without the Bull » Episode 78: ‘01 Terra Cotta Merlot

Anyone sensitive about off-color language and metaphor is advised to skip the vid, but if you want to really experience Grapedonk's suffering go ahead and watch.

technorati tags: box, boxed, wine, merlot

Celebrities Treated to Boxed Wines at Golden Globes

This year's Golden Globe grab bag of gifts included boxed wine. Celebrities visiting the Golden Globe Gift Suite were treated to Black Box Wines in the Gift Bag Suite.

As the average Celebrity spends two hours in GBK's suite they might get hungry so Vidalia Grills will be serving up lunch on their Amazing grills which celebrities will than have the opportunity to use in their own homes. VIP Bartenders will be pouring Black Box Wines, Peet's Coffee, Pinky Vodka, and of course a majority of them will just be drinking Contrex Natural Mineral Water, a Perrier or Who's Your Daddy Energy Drink. O'Coco's Organic Chocolate Crisps & Bodega Chocolate will be serving up a few things to satisfy that sweet tooth.

Celebrities & Non Profits Will be Receiving their Christmas Gifts a Couple Weeks Late This Holiday Season

technorati tags: box, boxed, wine

BiB Wine in Tarbes, France

What a great blog post on Eat about boxed wine! It's always refreshing to hear about the REAL Continental attitude toward the box. I'm so weary of the fallacious assumption on the part of the American press that wine in boxes is considered heresey by the French. The blogs of travellers and ex-pats give a view much more grounded in the realities of continental life.

This was posted yesterday on the Eat blog. This is a portion of the post. Be sure to go there to read the rest of Leland's post.

Boxed wine is good for you
Posted by Leland one day ago

As Black Box Wines states on their website, “The true wine enthusiast is only concerned with one thing…the quality of the wine.” That sounds extremely cheesy, but I have to agree with it. The purpose of this post is to tell anyone who is not sure if it’s okay to drink and serve boxed wine, and I believe this group to be in the majority, that it’s not only okay, but it’s smart, modern, and in the spirit of true wine drinking.

Nathan and I went through at least one ten-liter box of wine in Tarbes, which we bought from a store in a weird part of town that sold wine in huge boxes that were filled from barrels. The proprietor was a connoisseur, but not in a glass-swirling way. She was red-faced and enthusiastic, and she didn’t blink at our accents or our ignorance. We wanted good wine for daily drinking, she could see, putting us in the same category with her regular customers. She sold us something good from the region, which many of our friends rejected at subsequent social gatherings in favor of whatever was being poured from the bottle. If only they knew that we kept crap in bottles, and that what was in the box was better and more expensive.

Boxed wine is good for you

As I said, be sure to follow the link to read the rest. BTW, Leland, those blistered potatoes look to-die-for. I've got to try that.

technorati tags: box, boxed, French, wine, France

Boxed Wine Around the Globe -- India

Boxed wine is coming to India. This from Monday's edition of the Hindustan Times:

Bag-in-box wines to make an entry into the Indian market
Zeeshan Shaikh
Nasik, January 15, 2007

With the Maharashtra Government giving a go-ahead for supermarkets to sell bottles of wine, wineries in the state in order to facilitate customer convenience are now planning to sell wine in boxes.

Two of the states leading wineries Sula and Vinsura Vineyards are soon planning to launch Bag-in-box wines also known as "box wines". These are wines packaged in a bag usually made of aluminised PET film and protected by a box, usually made of standard corrugated cardboard. The bag is sealed by a simple plastic tap, which is used to dispense the wine.

The most common sizes are 1.5, 3, 4 and 5 litre. "We have installed the machinery to pack wines in boxes. Box wines save 20-25 per cent of our packaging cost and are also easy to handle. We hope to sell these products in the market in the next couple of months," Vinsura Vineyards chairman Pralhad Khadangale told Hindustan Times.

Conventional wine bottles cost around Rs 30 while wineries would be procurring these bag-in-boxes for around Rs 20. Khadangale said that the box wine would basically targeted at restaurants which sell wine by glasses and individuals who do not plan to drink a bottle in one go. Conventionally bottled wines have an extremely low shelf life after they are opened and exposed to air which leads to oxidation.

"The chief advantage to box wine is that it prevents oxidation of the wine as it is dispensed. Whereas wine in a bottle is oxidised by the volume of air in the bottle which has displaced the wine already poured, wine in a bag is never touched by air and thus never subject to oxidation until it is put in a glass," Vitop's representative Patrick Shea said. Italy based Vitop would supply the bag-in-box machinery to both the wineries.

"It is a great solution for packaging less expensive wines. This packaging allows the customer to keep a wine for a longer time even after the pack has been opened. These are some of the initiatives which will help in increasing wine penetration in the country," Sula Vineyards CEO Rajeev Samant said.

Industry watchers say that even though these boxes may not have the classy look of conventional wine bottles, this concept would help in increasing wine penetration. Indian market for wine is presently pegged at nine million litres and is growing at a rate of 35 per cent.

Bag-in-box wines to enter the Indian market : HindustanTimes.com

technorati tags: box, boxed, wine, bag-in-box, India

Boxed Wine Dispenser - An Elegant Solution

Here's another simple, elegant, and functional solution to the cardboard problem. The Tapsack is a beverage tote bag which allows discarding of the cardboard box. This was originally available in a 5-liter rugged version made for boating, camping and other outdoor recreation. Now Fairtradewind is introducing a fancy 3-liter version that is very classy.

The situation: The wedding was beautiful; the party was incredible; the Delicato wines were delicious. Now it's the morning after. And what have we got?

The Delicato Chardonnay spent the night on ice in the cooler, and this does NOT look good.

The cardboard boxes are A SOGGY MESS!

The boxes have completely disintegrated!

Now what will we do with a floppy bag of perfectly good chard?

The Tapsack Elegant is a very elegant solution!

Open up the bag edges.

Slide in the bag-o-wine.

Position the valve through the hole.

Close the hook & loop edges.

Now we need a label.

Don't want to forget what variety of tasty juice is inside.

Position the label in the window pocket.

Now we're ready to pour!

Or to travel on to the next party!

technorati tags: box, boxed, wine, dispenser, Tapsack, tote, bag