Ever noticed how Bag-in-a-Box is about the only wine product that has a “Best Before” date on it?
Surely this is a clue that all is not what it seems…
Yes, it’s true that the good old bladder is a really effective way of tapping your own personal supply of wine without letting any nasty oxygen in so you can finish off your 3 litres of Fruity Lexia at your leisure over a period of days or even weeks.
HOWEVER!
Bag in a box has a limited shelf life because although there is no ullage (the gap that fills with air as you take the wine out) the bladder is in fact NOT 100% oxygen proof. The material is much like those metallic helium balloons that somehow magically lose their floatiness over time.
The super thin laminated foil is actually ever so slightly porous. This means that over time, even left untouched, oxygen will get in and the wine in the bladder will slowly oxidise. But it should be good for at least 6 months.
Fine for your quaffing wine cos let’s face it – it’s not going to last long enough for the to happen.
But many premium wines are rested in bottle for a period of months or even years before they are shipped from the winery – let alone how long it takes to sell them and THEN how long they stay in someone’s cellar / cupboard under the sink… That’s why bag in a box will never be a suitable solution for anything other than high turnover, inexpensive wine.
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