Boxed Wine in South America
Sales of Brazilian wine in Bag-in-Box, increased over 11 times in just one year. In 2008, Bag-in-Box wines sold only 85,290 liters. Last year, the volume jumped to 976,430 liters, an increase of more than 1,000%, according to data compiled by the Brazilian Institute of Wine (Ibravin). “We currently have 86 Brazilian wineries selling wine in Bag-in-Box,”stated Diego Bertolini, the Manager of Promotion and Marketing for Ibravin. “Packaging plays an important role in the popularity of wine consumption in Brazil due to the convenience, economy and security” he says.
In Brazil, Bag-in-Box has a five year history. “We estimate that, currently, there are at least 2 million liters of wine packaged in BIB”, calculates Bertolini.”Companies are not yet accustomed to this new method of filling. We are just beginning, with a promising future ahead.” Today, about 1% of all bottled wine in Brazil is in BIB.
According to Bertolini, the great benefit of BIB is to save the taste of wine even after open for a period ranging from three to six weeks.
Bag-in-Box increases the lifetime of the product. This package is composed of a plastic inner bag, packed in a cardboard box with a tap. As the wine is dispensed, the bag collapses around the wine preventing the entry of air. This allows the wine to stay fresher longer than wine packaged in bottles. The wine, once opened, will remain fresh up to six weeks, because the bag prevents oxygen from contacting the beverage, preventing oxidation.
“For those who consume one glass daily, a three-liter bag perfectly meets the need of about three weeks, plenty of time within the period provided for four to six months of perfect preservation,” teaches Adolfo Lona, winemaker. “A five liter package best suits by-the-glasses programs in pubs and restaurants.
South American Wine Facts
Wine in Brazil
- Brazil’s grape growing and wine making industries started in 1875.
- Brazil is the fifth largest produce of wne in the southern hemisphere.
- Almost 95% of all Brazilian wineries producing fine wines are family businesses.
Wine in Argentina
- Argentina is the fifth largest proder of wine in the word.
- The Mendoza provience produces the majority of Argentina’s wine.
- Malbec is Argentina’a most popular varietal.
Wine in Chile
- Chile is now the fifth largest exporter of wines in the world, and the ninth largest producer
- Carménère is a variety of grape known specifically to Chile.
- Chile’s most widely grown and exported varietal is Cabernet Sauvignon
