12 don't knock 'em till you try 'em trends in wine packaging
I recently attended a wine tasting at Winnipeg’s MLCC Grant Park education centre. Titled A-B-C: Anything But Cabernet and Chardonnay, it was an exploration of other varietals. It also touched on new trends in wine production and packaging.
As much as it got me thinking about branching out a little in my purchasing habits varietal wise, it liberated me as a day to day wine consumer by forcing me to re-consider my position on those new-fangled wine packages. You know what I mean–boxes (eek), cartons (oh my)…and (gasp) cans!
My take-away…get over yourself, don’t knock ‘em till you try ‘em, embrace the new trends in wine packaging.
Consumer rejection of some of these new trends stems from basically two assumptions: 1) only cheap, nasty wines are packaged this way; or, 2) the wine can’t properly age in a box, can or what have you.
Let’s debunk.
1) Producers of some actually decent wines are increasingly turning to these alternate packages. 2) Most wine is consumed within hours or days of purchase (certainly true in my household) so the ageing thing…not really an issue.
So what are these trends. Well, you’re probably familiar with some, others are no doubt coming to a liquor mart near you.
