Known as downshifting, this rejection of competitive consumption argues that less is more and the most expensive purchase is not necessarily the best value for money, especially when it comes to accelerated lifestyle accessories like home cappuccino machines and wine. Apart from the obvious cost savings, wine boxes can last for a month after opening and, when blown up with air, those silver bladders make excellent bath pillows. But perhaps the biggest benefit is that the wine cannot be corked. Corked wines are the scourge of the wine trade. In fact, Australian producers view cork spoilage as the biggest problem their industry has faced since the phylloxera louse killed off most of their vineyards late last century.
Chances are that the wine was corked.
Great for picnics and easily smuggled into Pavarotti concerts, the wine box is the human equivalent of the barrel of brandy carried around a St Bernard's neck. Robertson Winery was the first co-op to pioneer single varietal wine in a box after a change in the wine and spirits legislation last year. With a '99 sauvignon blanc and a '98 chardonnay retailing at under the R25 mark for a two-litre vinipak, these wines have obvious party appeal. On the red front, the Drostdy claret five-litre box is a fine wine indeed. If you're willing to take your chances with cork taint, bottled wine certainly looks more elegant lined up on a dinner table, and it's the only option if you're looking for bubbly.