For The Love Of Port

Are you ready for this?

http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/index. ... &Itemid=66

What's next?

Wineberry is offering Bordeaux, cru Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, and others in a pretty cool wooden box, upscale package. They even have a dispensing stand that they're targeting to restaurants:


Here's a link to an article about it: http://chefsblade.monster.com/news/arti ... and?page=1

Is that a coin slot on the top of that stand?

Hi Chaad, as you and I both know, bag-in-the-box wine is far from unheard of in restaurants, however, usually it is purchased to cook with. This is a fairly cool looking package and I wonder if many restaurants will be willing to put this on a back bar area or in display of customers view? Thanks for posting that pic!

Tawny and ruby should be packed this way, as well as Marsala. I am excited that there will be decent wine in a box available now. It's perfect for cooking or simple glass for whatever.

Heck with an inexpensive tawny...lets through a nice Colheita or aged tawny in there. Shape the box like a port barrel and keep the bladder inside to keep things fresh and I'd be set.

Even better is to make the inside bag replaceable with just the bladder of Port. That way it keeps the costs down except for the initial purchase of the wood box (or barrel). All you would have to do is buy the full bladder, remove the empty one, and replace with the new one.....Now if we can only get the major companies to buy into this

Andy Velebil wrote:Heck with an inexpensive tawny...lets through a nice Colheita or aged tawny in there. Shape the box like a port barrel and keep the bladder inside to keep things fresh and I'd be set.

Oh Lord if this ever happened.

I am going to write to a couple of members of the Port trade and show them this thread. I see no reason why even LBV quality could not be sold this way. Sure it would be a tough sell at the prices necessary, but at least some basic ruby/tawny and possibly even Reserve level Ruby and Tawny could be sold in a bag-in-the-box. I am sure this is not a new idea to them and they are probably concerned about:

a. selling a B-I-B at a price point that high ... even a 3L box would wind up having to go for about 3.5x the cost of bottles now, instead of 4x since their would be savings on the glass and corks (T-capsule or driven). E

b. the second issue may simple be "image" of the category and thinking that it might tarnish an image. Think of Six Grapes in a box. Now I know that many of US would seriously consider having this sit in our homes to sip frequently, but the price point and dumbing down the image of a name they've worked so long and hard to promote ... questionable.

Nonetheless, I am happy to ask the question.