Very little in the world of wine ever suggests a break with tradition. Most wine types, styles and categories are driven by what the fruit delivers, as they have been for centuries. It all looks so resistant to change that predicting what the wine trade will look like 200 years from now hardly appears a challenge.
However, change comes through technology, so wine will not be spared disruption: for a start, I suspect that in the near future the uncertainties and inconvenience of trying to make wine from grapes will be “solved” by artificial wine. You can see the appeal of no vintage or bottle variation, no spoilage, no special storage requirements, and a beverage that tastes exactly like a 1964 Romanee-Conti or 2015 Kanonkop Paul Sauer for a fraction of the price.
The swing to lab-produced “meat” suggests a similar prospect for all other agricultural products. Even if there are still “natural” wine enthusiasts who want the “real thing”, the value-for-money, potential complexity and ready availability of “grapeless” fine wine could leave them in the minority. Nespresso is proof that people prize convenience over tradition.
Historically change has been driven by technology and logistical demands. A better understanding of the chemistry of wine dramatically reduced spoilage issues, ensuring that even the cheapest of wines could be technically clean. Freight and handling issues moved glass and cork away from the very centre of wine packaging. In the 1970s bag-in-the-box transformed accessibility and point of retail (from wine merchants to grocers): suddenly everyday table wine could be sold and handled like giant packs of soap powder or dog food. A 5l vat weighed in at 5kg: the simple act of taking it off the shelf and putting it into the trolley heralded a transaction that, in volume terms, totalled the equivalent of more than six 750ml bottles.
Tetra Paks have come to play a similar role, but since they don’t offer the convenience of a glass-at-a-time they have been less revolutionary. Probably this is also what has limited the appeal of canned wine, which I first saw in the 1970s and which is now making a comeback (with a new brand, Vinette, recently launched in SA).
All this might change as the swing away from elevated sulphur levels becomes more entrenched. Bag-in-the-box, where the tap is set into the foil liner, is a packaging method prone to oxygen-induced spoilage. This compels producers to increase sulphur additions at the final packaging stage. Tetra Paks are aseptic, likewise aluminium cans. A 250ml can of Vinette Chenin Blanc delivers two glasses of virtually sulphur-free wine — not enough for a party, but also with no risk of any going to waste.
These alternative packaging options provide other benefits: brick-shaped Tetra Paks ensure the most space-efficient transportation — though, like 5l vats, there are issues around stacking to the full height of container. This same limitation doesn’t apply to canned goods.
With producers and brand owners everywhere scrambling to minimise their carbon footprint (irrespective of the unintended consequences of such actions), you can be sure the industry will opt to move away from the heavier, and more fragile, glass option.
For those who wish to stay with standard bottles and standard closures, and avoid the dangers of overindulgence, there are now a host of ways of keeping an open bottle free of visible deterioration for a few days — or even longer. VacuVin introduced air-suction closures; then a number of home-use argon gas systems came to market. More recently Repour launched a closure that absorbs the oxygen in an open bottle and extends its life. For those who want to eke out a great bottle over weeks and months, there’s always Coravin. However, at more than R5k a unit and ridiculously expensive argon gas cylinders, they work best for wine-bar managers and millionaires who are too mean to share their best wines with their friends.
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