I want to come clean about something that I've felt guilty about for the past few months.
I've been buying wine in boxes rather than bottles.
There. I feel so much better having admitted that.
I tried it and I liked it. I liked it a lot.
This very recent article in the Times bolstered my conviction that this is good thing and not something shameful.
Switching to wine in a box for the 97 percent of wines that are made to be consumed within a year would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about two million tons, or the equivalent of retiring 400,000 cars.
I have not yet decanted boxed wine and served it to guests in a bottle bearing a prestigious label, but I swear I will do it in order to convert those who look down on boxed wine.
It's cheap, easy, efficient, practical and so "green". And it tastes good.
This is not to say that I will never spring for the occasional St Emilion or perhaps my favorite Shiraz Mourvedre, but I mostly drink red wine for my health, as did my grandfather who lived to be 109.
So there. What do think of that?
"Perge modo et qua te ducit via dirige gressum," said Venus to Aeneas.
17 comments:
Boxes may be more fuel-efficient to ship than bottles, but the cardboard isn't as recyclable as glass. Not sure how recyclable the plastic bladder inside the box is, though.
In any case, wouldn't it be more eco-friendly and local-economy-friendly to check out wineries that are a bit closer than California or France?
What do I think? I think I'm intrigued. I think I'd like to know what brands you recommend. After opening, do you keep the wine refrigerated or on the counter? Thank you.
when will two buck chuck start shipping in boxes? (and seriously - its $2.99 a bottle - can't we get some truth in advertising and call it three buck chuck?)
I wonder of single malt comes in a box?
I would buy the wine in boxes if it came in small cartons, like the little apple juice boxes you buy from delis and bodegas. I love wine but can't drink too much of it in one go, so for now I'm just sticking to six pack of single glass bottles, it is a bit more pricey, but ends up costing me less in the long run.
I was thinking of $2 Chuck just like Marc mentioned. Did they raise the price? It was always $1.99 in CA. Maybe the higher price covers their shipping costs?
After tasting expensive wine that I hated, and cheap wine that I loved, I decided long ago that it's the taste and not the price in my decision to purchase.
I love all of the Black Box wines that I've tried. They're quaffable, and I've taken as long as six weeks to finish a box with no diminution of quality. You have to love the collapsible bladder. And the box is recyclable, at least around here.
Mostly I love being able to take a cup or half-cup for cooking any time I like without worrying whether it's still going to taste good.
Dear jredmond,
I do sample the local wines but they are not cheap, and the boxed ones are mostly superior. There is a threshold of quality that needs to be met so that cheap doesn't negate decent.
I'm not entirely convinced that a plastic bag inside a laminated box is environmentally friendly.
Dear eba,
I'm still tying different brands. No particular one stands out.
I keep the white in the fridge.
I use duct tape to fasten the box of red to the wall above my bed so that at night, should I become agitated while reading a Nancy Drew novel, I need only tilt my head back on the pillow, open my mouth and press the spigot.
Dear reyd,
You should try the boxed red wines for exactly the reason you mention. They stay fresh and drinkable longer than uncorked bottles (even when you use a vacuum resealer pump, something I did for years that is actually a good workout for your shoulder).
As someone who doesn't have a problem with screw top wines, this is a non-issue to me. Of more relevance are the questions raised by jredmond, which you have already addressed.
I have no taste threshold to consider. If it came from a grape, I'll drink it.
The most amazing thing is that your grandfather lived to be 109. Wow!
That certainly bodes well for you, my friend.
As for your confession of drinking boxed wine: Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis.
And for your penance- raise the next glass in a toast to me, your faithful nemesis.
Oh Thomas Tucker, that punishment far outweighs the crime.
Nice site. Very funny musings.
This post on wine has depressed me though. I live in Bangkok and have to put up with wine that is overpriced (usually around GBP17 for some shit plonk that has been kept in extreme heat). The alternative is to buy equally expensive Thai wine that is offensive enough to lose all of your friends if you serve them it with dinner.
I miss my wine....
Will be back to read more of your postings.
Just make sure that the box comes with a screw cap spigot...
A rebuttal to the claims that wine boxes are greener:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/opinion/l22wine.html
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