ALT.PACKAGE

This epidsode focuses on alternative  packaging for wine.  We discuss aluminum cans and bottles, tetra-paks,  Bag in Box wines and other alternatives to glass bottles.

Box Wine was invented by Thomas Angove, a winemaker in Australia.  As a result Box Wine is well received in Australia and has gained  acceptance in Europe as well.  In fact Bag in Box wines represent 45% of   all domestic wine sales in Australia.

The story in the U.S. is less cheery.  Box Wines have not been able   to escape the image of poor quality wines, made to offend the least  amount of people.  We took a little heat from the wine ladies when we  asked them to participate in evaluating the wines, as they showed the  prejudice that many wine drinkers in the U. S. can express towards wines   offered in a vessel other than the traditional glass bottle.  The  payoff for the ladies was that they got to pick the featured wine for  the next show and they chose Pinot Noir.  A fine choice, since we  feel that Pinot Noir is perfectly suited for the foods we enjoy during  the fall and winter months.  We uncovered several standout Pinots for  that show and we look forward to sharing our discoveries with you. 

The equivalent of four bottles in one easy to store and use  container and the fact that unused box wine stays fresher for longer  than wines bottled in glass make Bag in Box wines a viable choice for  consumers.  Lower manufacturing and shipping cost and a smaller carbon  footprint make Bag in Box programs attractive to many wine producers.

For this show we tasted nine wines.  As always we're looking for  wines that offer good character/ flavors, that are true to type and  represent a good value.  Hey, who knows, maybe we'll find a wine that  you could put in a decanter that will be good enough to fool one of your   know it all wine friends. 

A big Thank You to all our listeners.  We appreciate the support!