I have a strange relationship with drinks packaging. On the one hand, I’d rather go thirsty than buy a small bottle of fruit juice or water at a station, when I know there’s a litre-carton available for exactly the same price back at my local supermarket. On the other hand, I can’t remember the last time I bought a 2-litre bottle of Coke, and yet here I am now with a can of the full-fat stuff open in front of me as I type. As usual with consumer behaviour, I’m a mess of contradictions. Sensible and rational as Adam Smith’s Homo economicus when it comes to juice and water; a dupe when it comes to my expensive, no doubt marketing-led belief that Coke always tastes better in a can.
When it comes to wine, the drink responsible for an uncomfortably large proportion of my monthly spending, I don’t have to worry too much about presentation. When it comes to size or format, in the great majority of cases, the decision is made for you: most wines, of all styles, are only available in the traditional 75cl glass bottle, which began to corner the market in the 19th century. There are competing accounts about the reasons behind the ascent of the 75cl bottle, from the romantic notion that it was the capacity of the average glass blower’s lungs, to the more plausible suggestion that a standard 225-litre French wine barrel makes 300 75cl bottles. What nobody would argue, however, is that the 75cl hegemony is all about quality. Most producers, in fact, would say that a 1.5-litre magnum is a better size if you’re looking to buy fine wine to lay down, for the simple reason that it contains proportionally less oxygen than a single bottle, meaning the wine ages more slowly and, arguably, gracefully.
And, talking to merchants, there does seem to have been a bit of a boom in magnum sales, although that’s only partly due to the refined sensibilities of serious collectors. As Alastair Marshall, of Suffolk-based Adnams, says, there’s “something impressive” about bringing a magnum to a dinner party, and that’s as true of a wine designed for drinking now, such as Provence rosé – a particularly strong seller in magnum in the past couple of years for Marshall and other merchants – as it is for swanky Bordeaux or Burgundy.
The trouble with magnums is that, per unit, you’re getting slightly less wine for your money: magnums are twice the size but they’re also usually more than twice the price of their single-bottle equivalents. And there’s no getting around the fact that, for most occasions, they’re just, well, too big. But then, for many of us, anxious about our wine consumption, and unable to avoid the temptation of drinking up a bottle once it’s opened, even a 75cl feels too big. Which would seem to make a half-bottle more attractive, were it not for the fact that drinking halves is generally less economical than drinking magnums, with prices often two-thirds or more of the cost of a single bottle. You’re also greatly restricted when it comes to choice. Most retailers find halves, in the words of Marshall, “too fiddly”. And even the UK’s sole specialist in the size, halfwine.com, has a significantly less diverse range than a standard indie retailer (although the site is well worth a look if you’re set on small bottles).
The best format for drinking economically and sensibly isn’t a glass bottle of any form, but the much maligned bag-in-box. It’s lighter and therefore better for the environment, the wine stays fresher for longer once opened than in a bottle, it’s cheaper per unit, and a 50cl carafe drawn from the bag is just about the perfect serving for two people for dinner.
What’s stood in the way of the bag-in-box (or the bag-without-a-box, sometimes known rather unattractively as a pouch) is the quality of the stuff inside. This isn’t a reflection of the packaging itself, which, while not suitable for ageing wines unopened for more than a year, holds them just as well for its shelf life. It’s just that in the UK at least (it’s a very different story in Australia and Scandinavia) they’ve become associated with cheap and cheerless wines.
That’s still the case for most supermarket bag-in-box wines, but things are starting to change. Inspired by the trend for serving better wines on tap from kegs, casks and pouches in some of the country’s more informally fashionable bars, a new generation of drinkers and winemakers has become much less sniffy about boxes and pouches. As more of them arrive in shops over the next couple of years, choosing which format to buy is about to get a whole lot more complicated.
Six of the best
Mud House Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand NV (£15, 1.5l, bag-in-box, Waitrose)
One of the better supermarket box wines currently available, this is a typically pungent and crisp, simple but good-value take on the successful Kiwi Sauvignon template with plenty of peapod and passion fruit and refreshing citrus.
Du Grappin Rouge Bagnum, Beaujolais, France (£26, 1.5l pouch, solentcellar.co.uk; prohibitionwines.com)
A delicious easy-drinking, succulent gamay in classically exuberant and sappy Beaujolais style from Andrew Nielsen, an Australian in Burgundy, who has a full range of high-quality wines in his wittily named 1.5-litre “bagnum” pouches.
Dandelion Vineyards Enchanted Garden of the Eden Valley Riesling, Australia 2014 (£10.05, 37.5cl bottle, halfwine.co.uk)
With its laser-guided lime and fresh peachy flavours, and its mouth-tingling acidity, a full-bottle of this textbook Eden Valley riesling is a good-value buy for £12.99 (nywines.co.uk), but loses none of its zing in half-bottle format.
De Bortoli Botrytis Semillon, Riverina, Australia 2009 (£7, 37.5cl bottle, Morrisons)
Because most people drink them only occasionally and in small amounts at the end of a meal, sweet wines often come in half-bottles. From one of Australia’s best exponents of stickies, this is a honeyed, candied, tangy bargain.
M de Minuty Rosé, Côtes de Provence, France 2015 (£27.50, 1.5l bottle, majestic.co.uk)
Good quality Provence rosé in magnum has been a big hit over the past couple of years, which is easy to understand when the wine is as gently impressive as this: delightfully soft with redcurrant and subtle spice, a single bottle is finished too soon.
Domaine Chavy Chouet Bourgogne Rouge, France 2014 (£37, 1.5l bottle, Marks & Spencer)
You could save yourself £7 by getting a couple of 75cl bottles of this delightfully soft, pretty and pure red-fruited pinot from robersonwine.com rather than a magnum. But for show-off appeal, the bigger bottle looks so much better on the table.