Pros and Cons
Bag-in-box packaging has some advantages over bottles and is preferred by some wineries because it is far less expensive, lighter and more environmentally friendly than bottled wine and far easier to handle and transport. Boxed wine is typically cheaper than bottled varieties, often around A$15 (GBP£10, US$15, very approximately) for 4/5 litres in Australia (where it is informally called "goon").
The primary benefit that bag-in-box packaging offers to consumers is that it prevents oxidation of the wine during dispensing. After opening, wine in a bottle is oxidised by air in the bottle which has displaced the wine poured. Wine in a bag is not touched by air and thus not subject to oxidation until it is dispensed. Cask wine is not subject to cork taint or spoilage due to slow consumption after opening and can stay fresh for weeks after opening.
Most casks will have a best-before date stamped. As a result, it is not intended for cellaring and should be drunk within the printed period. Deterioration may be quite noticeable by 12 months after filling.
Manufacturers of 'higher class' bottled wines have complained about the cheapness of 'cask' wines, arguing that they provide a cheap means for alcoholics to become inebriated. In particular, the lower level of alcohol excise levied on cask wine in Australia (compared to beer and bottled wine) has been criticised as encouraging binge drinking. Cask wine in Australia is colloquially referred to as "goon" which is a term derived from the word flagon meaning a large vessel used for drink, or "boxy", in reference to its low price and high alcohol content.
Box wine has environmental benefits. The bag allows a content of 2–10 litres, so that far less packaging mass is required.
Read more about this topic: Box Wine
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