Remember when screw caps on wine was news? And how about upscale wines packaged in bladders in large cardboard boxes?
Well, the masterminds who want to make it easier for us to drink our daily dose of resveratrol are now touting wine in plastic bottles and cans. That's “easier” as in easier to schlepp to parties, picnics and beaches because the bottles are lightweight and shatterproof; and easier on the conscience because the manufacture and shipping of PET bottles create less of a carbon footprint than glass bottles. (PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, is also a highly recyclable substance.)
Today on SignOnRadio’s weekly show Gourmet Club, wine authority Robert Whitley led us on a tasting of wines in these alternative containers.
We opened the Yellow Jersey first, in honor of the Tour de France which is currently underway.
The wine comes from the important Burgundy producer Boisset. The bottle is a rather unattractive shade of green, embossed with tiny jerseys. The screaming yellow label isn’t going to let you walk by the shelf without noticing it. According to press releases, the bottle is designed to be re-used for water and fits perfectly in the water-bottle holder on a bike. Now, THERE'S a reason to buy a wine.
We tasted the Yellow Jersey Sauvignon Blanc, which I rated a giant “shrug” – nothing wrong with it; nothing particularly good about it either. The Pinot Noir, on the other hand, is a pleasant wine that would go well with picnic fare such as fried chicken, barbecue and burgers. Both are produced in France’s Languedoc region. Both retail for about $10 a bottle.
Far more exciting to our trio of tasters (which also includes food writer Caron Golden) was the Bonus Passus, a label of Rhone producer Louis Bernard. (Louis Bernard is also under the Boisset umbrella.)
This lively, lovely Rhone blend (typically Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre) offered bright fruit and a little more complexity. It sells for about $12.
The solo canned wine that we tasted drew grimaces all around. Barokes, a Shiraz from South Eastern
Australia, was an ugly red-brown color and tasted and smelled slightly oxidized. According to Whitley, similar canned wines are sold in vending machines in Australia.
Wines in plastic bottles were introduced last summer in England and Canada, but they’ve made minimal inroads in the U.S. until now.
Bottom line: I guess I’d consider the Bonus Passus Cotes de Rhone if I wanted wine for a party at a location where glass was banned. But, otherwise, I think I’ll try to reduce my carbon footprint in other, more palatable ways.
Comments