Winemakers continually ponder the impact on the environment and on their wine when considering alternatives for packaging. Choosing to shift from one form of container to another is expensive. Here’s a look at the various containers currently used for the sale of wine:
The Glass Wine Bottle
The glass wine bottle is the classic wine container. It’s strong, recyclable and helps to protect the wine from sudden changes in temperature. Glass bottles are heavy and can be colored to help protect wines from harmful UV rays and light.
The Plastic Wine Bottle
The plastic wine bottle is expensive, does not protect wine from light and temperature, and probably will end up in a dump, living forever.
The Wine Can
Cans are appealing because they offer considerable protection to the wine, blocking light as well as oxygen. Cans can be made from post-consumer waste and are generally recycled at a high rate. They are expensive, because they are lined with plastic and produced in relatively small batches, and they conduct heat.
The Wine Bag
Some producers have ceased packaging wine in boxes and are now producing pouches of wine. Like cans, these pouches are good for blocking out light and do a very good job preventing oxygen from interacting with the wine, but offer minimal protection against temperature fluctuations.
The Bag in Box
The bag in box is generally similar to the simple bag. There are some additional costs involved, but the main difference between the wine bag and bag in box is the volume of wine stored.
With the increase of wine found in a typical bag in box, the issue of rapid temperature swings is reduced. Also, the generally smaller size of the bag in relation to the volume of wine means less trash. The box of course can be recycled. The Bag in Box wine lasts for weeks after opening. However, the life of the wine before opening might only stretch out to a year or two, making this a poor choice for long-term storage.
Based on the above, glass wine bottles will be around for a long time to come and, of course, fit well on the shelves of your wooden wine cooler.
Tags: best wine temperature, wine containers, wine storage, wooden wine cabinets