4.23.2008 9:45 AM

Boxed Wine: Tacky or Eco-Friendly?

A New Organic Wine Comes in a TetraPak, Reducing Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Photo: Yellow and Blue

By Annie Bell Muzaurieta

Boxed wine is often the butt of jokes, but it may be drunk by a whole new crowd now with its eco-friendly status.

According to DrVino.com, a new Malbec made from organic grapes will be packaged in a TetraPak, a juice-box-like container. The lightweight packaging cuts down on the excess weight that hefty wine bottles contribute, which really adds up during transportation.

Dr. Vino spoke to Matthew Cain, the importer, who said that boxes have only been used in this country as a gimmick, but other countries have been looking at alternative packaging for fine wines too. Cain found a producer growing certified organic grapes in Argentina, but he bottles — er, boxes — the wine in Toronto at an organic facility.

The wine will be called Yellow + Blue (after all, it makes green), and will be available in May. Dr. Vino used his carbon calculator to assess this wine, and he estimates that each 750ml Yellow + Blue Malbec will contribute about half the greenhouse gas emissions of a conventional bottle of wine from Argentina following the same route.

As an added bonus, you'll pay less: Yellow + Blue, which holds a third more wine than a regular bottle, will sell for $10.99 in stores, and the importer suggested that the same wine in a bottle would sell for about $20.

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