Giving Boxed Wine Legs, or How to Reduce Your Carbon Wineprint

In today's New York Times wine author and fellow James Beard awards live blogger Tyler Colman, aka Dr. Vino, contributed an Op-Ed piece calling for an improvement in the quality of U.S. wines sold in boxes. As we all know boxed wine has long been derided in this country for its inferior quality, the main weakness Dr. Vino identified for its lack of popular acceptance.

Higher quality boxed wine is now being sold by a number of respected foreign producers and the good doctor points out that earlier this month Italy's Agricultural Ministry announced that some wines that receive the government's quality assurance label may now be sold in boxes. Will U.S. producers follow their lead?

We hope so. The reasons for promoting the switch from glass to boxes are both noble and practical. For one thing paper weighs less than glass so the carbon footprint of boxed wine is quite a bit smaller than glass. The reason most likely to resonate with a mass audience, aside from taste, is that boxed wine keeps for up to four weeks. Knocking off a bottle because you have to is a fine tradition, but we admit there were nights we wished we could have enjoyed the unspoiled remainder of a fine bottle a few days later.

[Via twitter]