Q&A: Wine & Food Questions
Wine in a box
What is the general consensus on decent priced wine in a box?
Answer From Expert Roger C. Bohmrich, MW
My tasting experience with box wines, either Tetra Pak or bag-in-box, is very limited, and we do not currently stock any at Millesima. So I would not want to recommend personally a certain brand or wine, although I have heard good comments (relative to price) about wines from Black Box, Delicato, Banrock Station and others. In principle, if a winery puts the same wine into box as bottle, as some apparently do, then the only question is how the wine tastes and evolves in the two formats.
What I would add is that bag-in-box has been popular for some time in Australia and is gaining in Europe, particularly Scandinavia. Even France seems to show interest, and news was made when a Bordeaux producer, Rollan de By, packaged some of their 2003 in box. Since bag-in-box wines utilize less packaging material and can be transported more cost effectively relative to wine volume, we may see this package become more fashionable as we all try to reduce our carbon footprint!
About The Expert
Roger has enjoyed a lengthy career in the wine trade as an importer and retailer, and at present he is an educator, speaker and consultant. He set up and managed Millesima USA, a New York merchant affiliated with Europe's leader in direct sales of fine wines to consumers. Previously, he served as senior executive of Frederick Wildman & Sons, traveling regularly around the world to visit wineries and taste the new vintage from barrel. Roger became one of America's first Masters of Wine in 1993.
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