What's with wine in the trashy Tetra Packs these days?

[RedWolf]

I probably buy about two bottles of wine a week and lately I've noticed a very disturbing trend in the stores - Tetra Packs. You know - those cardboard juice like containers with a plastic lid.

I remember a few years back they started to appear in the stores but there were very few. Looking at the shelves now though I estimate that probably 15% of the wine is sold in these containers and it seems to be growing?

WHY?

What possible benefit can these things serve? Are they more environmentally friendly? I've heard that they're very difficult to recycle because they're layered. Are they cheaper then glass bottles? I realize corks are a real problem due to cork taint but more and more companies now use synthetic corks or even hi-tech twist caps. So why Tetra Paks?

Call me a wine snob - but I will NEVER purchase wine in a cardboard box. If it gets to the point where wine bottles don't exist I'll choose a different type of alcohol. Seriously - and I love wine. I realize intellectually that the taste is not affected in any way - but cardboard packages are trashy and I admit part of the enjoyment of wine is the elegance - I choose nice wine glasses for the same reason.

So I guess I'm asking whether these packages are common in your country and is the glass bottle becoming extinct? I know many of you won't care but there are a few other wine lovers around that might be able to share their insight/opinions.

 

[Truronian]

I feel the same. Wine should be stored in a glass bottle...

I've seen it in a plastic bottle once, Co-op economy wine.

 

[RedWolf]

I feel the same. Wine should be stored in a glass bottle...

I've seen it in a plastic bottle once, Co-op economy wine.

Wolfblass is actually selling some wines here in plastic bottles - and they're a quality brand at any of their price points. I've never drank a bad Wolfblass wine.

Once in the store they were taste testing and I had a sip and liked it and the clerk tells me "..and it comes in this neat plastic bottle!" and that killed it for me. I walked away in disgust.

 

[Maimonides]

I agree. I want my wine in a real glass bottle with a real cork.

The reason for the other packaging is probably simple economics. Paper & plastic are much cheaper than glass.

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

The idea of wine in tetra packs conjures up images of hillbillies.

 

[RedWolf]

I agree. I want my wine in a real glass bottle with a real cork.

The reason for the other packaging is probably simple economics. Paper & plastic are much cheaper than glass.

Regarding the cork - I can deal with synthetic or even the twist caps. As I mentioned cork taint is a legitimate problem and these technologies help overcome that.

Here the twist caps are becoming very popular due to a very deliberate marketing technique. Apparently the wine companies are using them on their higher level wines in an attempt to garner acceptance from the more serious wine drinkers - who will then convince the general consumer.

So I can live with fake cork etc... But tetra paks are where I draw the line.

 

[MjM]

This is why the upper class, or pseudo upper class is pretty sickening.

 

[Evie]

It doesn't noticeably affect the taste (per expert winetasters, and not on the company's payroll),
It saves on costs (trashy tetra-paks are cheap, that's the thing about them),
It saves on storage space (the typical wine tetrapak contains more wine and take less room than the typical wine bottle).

So why not?

I mean, sure, in a fancy dinner you'll still want (at least for the time being) the old-school bottle, but in a less formal/fancy setting, nothing wrong with it.

 

[RedWolf]

This is why the upper class, or pseudo upper class is pretty sickening.

Not sure I follow. When did I become upper class? If I am - it's news to me although maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and own a home and my girlfriend won't have any university debt.

 

[RedWolf]

It doesn't noticeably affect the taste (per expert winetasters, and not on the company's payroll),
It saves on costs (trashy tetra-paks are cheap, that's the thing about them),
It saves on storage space (the typical wine tetrapak contains more wine and take less room than the typical wine bottle).

I'm not sure they take up less shelf space - Wine bottles are taller but they probably have a smaller footprint in most cases. But I guess terta paks stack better because they're rectangular.

I mean, sure, in a fancy dinner you'll still want (at least for the time being) the old-school bottle, but in a less formal/fancy setting, nothing wrong with it.

Wine is always partly about the experience for me - otherwise I'd drink it out of a plastic juice cup - but I don't.

So why not?

I'm not sure it makes economic sense to alienate your core demograhpic. Most serious wine drinkers I know hate the damn things.

 

[Evie]

Most of the tetrapak bottles I've seen are more adressed toward the mass market, while the somewhat fancier wines retain the glass bottles, and continue appealing to the more serious wine drinkers.

 

[RedWolf]

Most of the tetrapak bottles I've seen are more adressed toward the mass market, while the somewhat fancier wines retain the glass bottles, and continue appealing to the more serious wine drinkers.

Well thats what I thought at first - but I notice the tetra paks growing in quantity.

I guess my worry is that the affordable every day wines will change over. I consider myself a serious wine drinker because I buy a lot of it - but I'm not a collector or anything and certainly am not rich.

So most of the wines I buy ($12 - $15 range) are meant for the general consumer.

 

[MjM]

Not sure I follow. When did I become upper class? If I am - it's news to me although maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and own a home and my girlfriend won't have any university debt.

Notice the word pseudo. It strikes me as infinitely stupid to care about something as trivial as this, and have as strong a reaction as you have described.

 

[bhsup]

You will be happy to know that Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill still comes in a glass bottle.

 

[RedWolf]

Notice the word pseudo. It strikes me as infinitely stupid to care about something as trivial as this, and have as strong a reaction as you have described.

Ok but why is it sickening? What business is it of yours what gives me enjoyment when I drink wine?

Sure it's trivial but we like what we like. Why do some people take pleasure in driving a nice looking car? Or having a nice pair of shoes? Or a new deck on their house? Why do people prefer to eat in nice restaurants?

Besides - although I standby the fact that I'll never but wine in a trashy tetra pak - this was meant to be a somewhat light-hearted thread. You make it sound as if I plan to start a revolt or something.

In all seriousness though - the beauty of wine is that you don't have to be wealthy to enjoy it. Just a reasonably nice bottle, a pair of nice wine glasses and someone you love to share it with you. Add some candles and some good food and you can genuinely add some elegance and class to your life for a reasonable price.... and I admit - a GLASS bottle is part of that ambiance for me.

 

[MjM]

Ok but why is it sickening? What business is it of yours what gives me enjoyment when I drink wine?

Sure it's trivial but we like what we like. Why do some people take pleasure in driving a nice looking car? Or having a nice pair of shoes? Or a new deck on their house? Why do people prefer to eat in nice restaurants?

Besides - although I standby the fact that I'll never but wine in a trashy tetra pak - this was meant to be a somewhat light-hearted thread. You make it sound as if I plan to start a revolt or something.

In all seriousness though - the beauty of wine is that you don't have to be wealthy to enjoy it. Just a reasonably nice bottle, a pair of nice wine glasses and someone you love to share it with you. Add some candles and some good food and you can genuinely add some elegance and class to your life for a reasonable price.... and I admit - a GLASS bottle is part of that ambiance for me.

Nice cars are probably better than a junker car. Some higher price shoes are also, much better, although more likely than not, and that will always be strange to me as well. Nice restaurants have better food.

But earlier in the thread, you said yourself, it was a very nice tasting wine, but as soon as you heard it didn't come in a glass bottle, you walked away in disgust. That is what I am talking about. I'm not saying your a bad person for liking wine or anything, but it just seems very stupid of a thing to get so strung up about.

 

[bhsup]

Is glass a better oxygen barrier than tetra paks? Redwolf may really be onto something here if the wine degrades in little plastic/wax cardboard baggies more than it would in bottles.

 

[RedWolf]

Is glass a better oxygen barrier than tetra paks? Redwolf may really be onto something here if the wine degrades in little plastic/wax cardboard baggies more than it would in bottles.

To be fair though - most wine in the $12 - $15 range is "ready to drink" and isn't designed to be aged anyway. So I'm not sure if any difference in the oxygen barrier would make difference in the short term.

 

[RedWolf]

Nice restaurants have better food.

To some extent yes - but don't fool yourself. People are paying a premium for ambiance. Two restaurants, food being equal - the one that's "nicer" can charge higher prices.

 

[MjM]

To some extent yes - but don't fool yourself. People are paying a premium for ambiance. Two restaurants, food being equal - the one that's "nicer" can charge higher prices.

Depends how nice you are talking. A sitdown > fast food.