Boxed Wine FAQ
Q. What is a Bag-in-Box?
A. A Bag-in-Box, also known as BIB or, in the wine industry, boxed wine and wine cask, is a corrugated cardboard box that holds a plastic bag inside. The plastic bag holds the wine, which is dispensed by a tap. The tap-and-bag system allows for the dispensing of the wine without air being allowed into the bag; this helps keep wine fresh by preventing oxidation.
Q. What is the bag made out of?
A. Scholle offers different kind of bags to wineries, but all of them are food-grade plastic based. They have several plastic laminate layers that provide different functions – preventing oxygen into the wine, creating sturdiness and strength, etc.
Q. Is the bag recyclable?
A. In some states, yes. You should check with your local recycling agency for their policies. We do not print a recycling code on the bag at this time given that the bag is composed of various plies of plastic that have differing levels of acceptance nationally. Most cardboard box containers are fully recyclable, as most are printed corrugated cardboard.
Q. How ‘green’ is boxed wine?
A. Scholle is undertaking a comprehensive study on the environmental impact of both producing a boxed wine and how it compares in the market against the traditional glass bottle and cork. We will publish the results soon, but we do know that boxed wine decreases landfill waste by 91% and reduces greenhouse gases by 76% when compared to the traditional glass bottle and cork.
Dr. Vino, AKA Tyler Coleman of The New York Times posted a blog of a study he conducted on the carbon footprint of wine at http://www.drvino.com/2007/10/30/calculating-the-carbon-footprint-of-wine-my-research-findings/, and his study, which was presented to the American Association of Wine Economists is available here as a PDF: http://www.wine-economics.org/workingpapers/AAWE_WP09.pdf.
Q. How long does a boxed wine stay fresh?
A. Depending on your storage conditions, an opened wine cask will keep the wine fresh for six to eight weeks. Some wine drinkers have said a wine box will last longer given their experience, especially in a refrigerator.
Wineries mark each wine cask with either a “boxed on” date or a suggested “use before” freshness date for your reference. Scholle and wineries recommend that you enjoy a wine cask within a year from the date it was packed on if you note a “boxed on” date, and always before a “use before” date.
Q. What sizes do boxed wines come in?
A. Scholle makes bags that hold 1 liter, 1.5 liters, 2 liters, 3 liters, 4 liters, 5 liters, and 18 liters for wineries. Most people will see the 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, and 5 liter wine casks in stores. Restaurants often use 18-liter BIBs for their house wines they offer by the glass and carafe.
Q. How big are those wine casks compared to traditional (750-mL) glass bottles?
A. 1 liter = 1 1/3 bottles; 1.5 liters = 2 bottles; 2 liters = 2 2/3 bottles; 3 liters = 4 bottles; 4 liters = 5 1/3 bottles; 5 liters = 6 2/3 bottles; 18 liters = 24 bottles.
Q. Does the size of the bag and box make a difference to the wine?
A. Not in terms of quality, no. The size of the bag – and therefore the size of the wine cask – makes a small difference in how long a boxed wine stays fresh on a store shelf (or in a restaurant) before being opened.
Q. Does the shape of the box make a difference to the wine?
A. None at all. Indeed, one of the most fun things about wine casks is all of the unique shapes and sizes they come in! Wine cylinders or tubes, octagons, cubes, cereal-style boxes, milk carton-style boxes, tetrahedral shapes – we’ve seen wineries do them all!
Q. Can any wine go into a wine cask?
A. Any wine but sparkling wines. Sparkling wines need containers that can hold the pressure of the carbonation of the wine.
Q. Can the bag break?
A. Under normal conditions and use, the bag is very strong and resilient, and is a safe and durable container for wine.
Q. How many boxes of wine come in a case?
A. This depends on the winery making the wine cask and the size of the wine cask made. In regards to 3-liter fine wine casks, they typically pack three 3-liter wine casks (9 liters), four 3-liter wine casks (12 liters), or six 3-liter wine casks (18 liters) to a case. A typical case of 12 traditional (750-mL) glass bottles is 9 liters.
Q. Who is Scholle Packaging?
A. Scholle Packaging is the world’s leading manufacturer and purveyor of bags for bag-in-box packaging. We manufacture bags for a diverse range of industries, including the wine industry. We also manufacturer and sell the taps and other dispensing systems, and equipment for packing into bag-in-box packaging. More about us can be found on our website at www.scholle.com.
