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Wouldn't the plastic liner be a problem? Sort of a plastic-y taste when it interacts with the natural chemicals in the wine?

Don't know which part is more unsettling... the phrase "tube of wine", or the fact they've harnessed the technology previously used for IV drips and blood transfusions to deliver a nice chianti...

But regardless, we like Boulud. He hires really good interior designers.

As a self declared wine geek, I say NO WAY! Wine belongs in a bottle, always has,always will. While I have the utmost respect for Daniel Boulud(I celebrate my birthday every year at DANIEL)iS he really endorsing this or just being paid for his name? The true test? Will this stuff be on the DANIEL wine list?

And, more importantly, will the sommelier allow you to sniff his tube?

But, actually, didn't wine (historically speaking) spend a lot of time in animal skins? I guess we are evolving a bit.

(Hmm, note to self... take Kathryn up on her offer and meet Luigi before his next birthday outing...)

I have been enjoying a number of so-called premium boxed wines for the past few months. I even bought a fairly good boxed wine at the local Target store.
I got over the snobbery thing once I had tried a few different brands.
Definately no plasticy taste.
Best of all, it stays fresh.
These are perfect if you are not a wine snob and like to drink one or two glasses in the evening.

I'm totally down with this.
Haven't tried any of them yet tho, but I will.

And cork innovations...if it works, why not?

HA! Patrick, once again I'm getting a visual based on your comments... And, uh, thanks for that!

On topic, the cynic in me smells a product that reeks of great marketing, tasteful packaging and star-power endorsements without necessarily having the goods to back it up. 40 bucks for the equivalent of 4 bottles isn't that great a deal since many good $10 bottles can be purchased at mass retailers like Cost Plus World Market, BevMo, etc--and, if you're on the West Coast, Trader Joe's (sellers of the only marginally wretched "Two Buck Chuck" Charles Shaw wines). But I'll reserve my final judgement until DTOUR makes it to L.A., and I'm able to taste it for myself. But for now, I will file this product away with Sofia Coppola's Mini Blanc de Blanc wine cooler, and the soda-sized bottle-with-straw 4-packs of Pommerey "Pop" champagne.

P2, better hurry, Luigi's b-day is in January!

There is a great Spanish boxed wine called 'Tinto' (I think?) - a red box, 3 liters, and costs $16.99. Really fresh and light, my husband who is Spanish says it is typical of really good Spanish table wine. I highly recommend it for a basic red. A box yes, but a small one with really good design.

The packaging is a total ripoff of Diamond Crystal Iodized Salt containers. I knew it looked familiar... If I could load a pic of the box with this comment you'd be suprised at how well they'd coordinate on the countertop together.

Hey Maxwell, can we have a new option for posting pics on the comments threads? Or would that be too memory intensive? I suppose someone might need to review pics before posting...

Back to the drinks!!! This does look interesting, but methinks I'll go with clutterfreemiss' product tip first. Those Spaniards know wine. At least this post gave her a motive to provide the alternative, and P2 had the chance to make us laugh and feel a little icky-pervy all at once... Love that feeling!

A tip you won't find in Southern Living: Back in the day, we used to take a couple of boxes of wine out to the bayou. After we'd finished the wine, we'd rip the boxes open, inflate the inner bags, and have instant pillows. The bags were made of reflective silver plastic, perfect for sunning under the Lousiana sun.

clutterfreemiss
i am verrrrrrry intrigued by this spanish wine you speak of
where can one find this glorious beverage?
in the city?
online?

being a non-snob wine-snob (yes, its possible!) i am so intrigued by these new boxed wines, mainly b/c i love having wine around the house, but sometimes i dont feel like splitting a while bottle with the boy
mmmm.. wine, is it too early to start drinking already?
what wine would go best with a bacon/egg/cheese sandwich?
cab franc or chenin blanc?

ann:
its never to early for wine! and with the bacon/egg/cheese sandwich try a Barbera D'Alba, it goes with everything

looks like a soup can

I bought a wine "cube" a month or so ago (I think that's the name of it), and I was actually shocked that it was pretty decent--I found it better than some mediocre bottled wines. I have no great knowledge of wine, but as far as taste goes, I thought it was good.

Libby: in answer to your question the plastic lining in the tube is inert and won't affect the taste of the wine.

Another note, winemakers both domestically and abroad use this technology in the winery to top off evaporated barrels with fresh wine while the wine is aging. In Paris there is an entire wine store dedicated to wine boxes, it's really only new and unaccepted here in the states.

Agree with you - it does look a bit Campbellesoupesque don't you think?

We got it at our local liquor store on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. I am 99% sure it is called Tinto. The box is smaller than a regular box wine, it is red and ochre in color. It's cute and the wine is good. It is 3 liters - ask at your local wine shop for it.

Up here in Ontario, the LCBO (governmental retailer that handles most booze) is really big on going green, and so has embraced boxed wines with a vengance. They cost less to transport, and have less packaging. They're also 1/3rd less than the 750ml versions of the same wine in bottles if you buy the 1Ls.

My wife and I have tried two of them: French Rabbit and Three Bandits. Both are excellent. They far outclass anything else at that price point.

Good wine at better prices that you can keep around longer and is gentler on resources. That's wins all around in my books.

I am very seriously NOT a wine snob, though. I'm looking forward to my 54L of cab I made by hand with my father-in-law. So take this with a grain of salt.

Good point about the weight Andrew...this fellow wine non-snob appreciated that point about my "wine cube"...I could practically swing the thing around and bring it up at the same time as my groceries, etc.

How exactly is a plastic-coated paper box (or tube) with a plastic liner more green than glass bottles you can recycle? What am I missing?

the box is more green because, I presume it has very little embodied energy, a fair proportion of bottles DON't get recycled, and those that do require one of serious cleaning, handling, transport and/or remelt.

Same deal as why glass milk thingies are much more wasteful than plastic milk bags, or the tetrapak things.

Folks,

Is there any way to order/purchase good/decent quality box wine online? My wife and I are spending way too much money on wine every month, and what with a potential apartment purchase coming up (in Brooklyn!) we need to save money.

Cheers, thanks,
Samir

Er, scratch my comment - apparently, you can't buy wine online if you live in New York. I think I'll just go looking for that Tinto someone mentioned a few posts above.

This rocks! Box wine sales in Australia and Europe are approaching or exceeding 50% of total wine sales. We regularly drink Black Box, Little Penguin, and other wines ex-box. They're economical, taste the same as bottled wine, and keep much longer. It's also better for the environment. May the box march on! Try it! It needs to catch on here in the US as it has in Europe.

Burgundy wine

(French: Bourgogne or Vin de Bourgogne) is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France.[1] The most famous wines produced here - those commonly referred to as Burgundies - are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from Chardonnay grapes. Red and white wines are also made from other grape varieties, such as Gamay and Aligoté respectively. Small amounts of rosé and sparkling wine are also produced in the region. Chardonnay-dominated Chablis and Gamay-dominated Beaujolais are formally part of Burgundy wine region, but wines from those subregions are usually referred to by their own names rather than as "Burgundy wines".



Burgundy has a higher number of Appellation d'origine contrôlées (AOCs) than any other French region, and is often seen as the most terroir-conscious of the French wine regions. The various Burgundy AOCs are classified from carefully delineated Grand Cru vineyards down to more non-specific regional appellations. The practice of delineating vineyards by their terroir in Burgundy go back to Medieval times, when various monasteries played a key role in developing the Burgundy wine industry.



Geography and climate



The appellations of Burgundy (not including Chablis). Overview in the middle, the southern part to the left, and the northern part to the right.

The Burgundy region runs from Auxerre in the north down to Mâcon in the south, or down to Lyon if the Beaujolais area is included as part of Burgundy. Chablis, a white wine made from Chardonnay grapes, is produced in the area around Auxerre. Other smaller appellations near to Chablis include Irancy, which produces red wines and Saint-Bris, which produces white wines from Sauvignon Blanc.



Some way south of Chablis is the Côte d'Or, where Burgundy's most famous and most expensive wines originate, and where all Grand Cru vineyards of Burgundy (except for Chablis Grand Cru) are situated. The Côte d'Or itself is split into two parts: the Côte de Nuits which starts just south of Dijon and runs till Corgoloin, a few kilometers south of the town of Nuits-Saint-Georges, and the Côte de Beaune which starts at Ladoix and ends at Dezize-les-Maranges. The wine-growing part of this area in the heart of Burgundy is just 40 kilometres (25 mi) long, and in most places less than 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) wide. The area is made up of tiny villages surrounded by a combination of flat and sloped vineyards on the eastern side of a hilly region, providing some rain and weather shelter from the prevailing westerly winds. The best wines - from "Grand Cru" vineyards - of this region are usually grown from the middle and higher part of the slopes, where the vineyards have the most exposure to sunshine and the best drainage, while the "Premier Cru" come from a little less favourably exposed slopes. The relatively ordinary "Village" wines are produced from the flat territory nearer the villages. The Côte de Nuits contains 24 out of the 25 red Grand Cru appellations in Burgundy, while all of the region's white Grand Crus are located in the Côte de Beaune. This is explained by the presence of different soils, which favour Pinot Noir and Chardonnay respectively.



Further south is the Côte Chalonnaise, where again a mix of mostly red and white wines are produced, although the appellations found here such as Mercurey, Rully and Givry are less well known than their counterparts in the Côte d'Or.



Below the Côte Chalonnaise is the Mâconnais region, known for producing large quantities of easy-drinking and more affordable white wine. Further south again is the Beaujolais region, famous for fruity red wines made from Gamay.



Burgundy experiences a continental climate characterized by very cold winters and hot summers. The weather is very unpredictable with rains, hail, and frost all possible around harvest time. Because of this climate, there is a lot of variation between vintages from Burgundy.

You can find more info at: http://www.burgundywinevarieties.com/