The mention of packaging in the context of fine wine is a little like talking about how a luxury sports car gets from the factory to the showroom when most people are only interested in its performance. Everyone knows it’s important, but no one ever thinks about it. However, in the world of wine this past half-century, there has been more innovation in the way the product is brought to market than in how it is made. While there were virtually no changes to wine packaging between the 17th century — when glass bottles and cork closures were introduced — until the 1970s, there have since been several important developments.
The most important of these has been bag-in-the-box. Originally these came with plastic bag liners that produced catastrophic consequences: leakage, product deterioration and rodent infestations. However, the concept didn’t die: it needed the improvement of the foil liner as well as the marketing clout of Oude Meester to take off in SA. But once it did, it changed the way we bought and consumed wine.
Its introduction coincided with the growth of the supermarket wine retail sector. Suddenly “Chateau Cardboard” became a grocery item. Every time a Cellar Cask was loaded into a shopping trolley, five litres of wine — equivalent in volume to more than a six-bottle case — was sold, primarily to women. Marketers realised they had a new audience and adjusted advertising channels accordingly.
The next big packaging change came with closures. While screwcaps for low-priced wine sold in returnable glass had been around since the 1960s, it was only in the 1990s, after a huge decline in cork quality, that the market began to accept them as an alternative. The Australians and New Zealanders led the charge, and now almost all Antipodean wines are sealed with screwcaps. Meanwhile, the cork industry finally made real progress in dealing with taint. More importantly, innovation in the development of agglomerate corks has addressed seal quality as well as taint risk. If you want to draw a cork from a bottle, Diam is your answer.
The next round of change was driven by carbon footprint concerns and it yielded Tetra Pak and extra-lightweight bottles. It’s also led to the successful introduction of canned wine. These all work perfectly well. Cans offer a lightweight, low-volume solution for picnickers and campers, as do Tetra Paks. These days consumers are clearly a lot less precious about how their everyday wine is packaged.
Perhaps this is what inspired Woolworths to introduce a premium bag-in-the-box range, co-branded with the names of credible producers. Certainly, if you think it doesn’t matter if your wine comes in a bottle, box or can, why would you not be ready to buy a fine wine brand in a two-litre bag-in-the-box?
However, not all packaging solutions have been created equal. Bag-in-the-box producers are obliged to elevate the sulphur dioxide levels because the container is not as airtight as glass, or cans, or Tetra Pak. This has a direct effect on taste: flavour is stripped, the wine is tarter, harsher and less supple. Higher sulphur levels also pose health risks and provoke allergic reactions, especially of the respiratory system.
The marketing message behind bag-in-the-box is that it is cost-efficient for consumers wishing to dispense only a glass or two at a time. The convenience factor is certainly there, if not the cost-efficiency. (Most consumers never consider the value of the wine that remains behind in the foil bag after the tap has run dry.) Canned wine is safe to consume, it moderates your consumption, but it’s not cheap on a rand-per-litre basis — there Tetra Pak has the edge, and it’s also low in sulphur and completely recyclable.
All these packaging innovations notwithstanding, there’s this to be said for glass: it’s the vessel with a proven track record and a resealed bottle of wine will stay fresh in your fridge for several days. Its only limitation is that you need self-restraint to leave it there.
