Argentine wine holds up to test of time; bag-in-box wine wows

EL PASO -- A few months ago, I mentioned my odyssey into selecting a bag in box wine to import.

The last time I was in the Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adigo, I did a midnight tasting of several bag in box wines. After many tastings, I located an excellent price- to-quality bag in box from Italy, only to discover that it is an atypical product in Italy that demands a minimum purchase beyond my present needs.

I imagine a variety of reasons why the bag in box concept has not taken root in Italy. First of all, space is at a premium in Italian homes and Italians usually shop for items that are needed in the next couple of days, items are not purchased in bulk.

Secondly, it seems that every corner has a vino sfuso that allows locals to take their demijohn to a local winery or shop and fill to their hearts' content. The bag in box is not a needed form of packaging in that culture.

Fortunately, I received a rather anonymous e-mail introducing an Argentine bag in box that had recently arrived in the United States. I immediately contacted the importer, and requested samples. Since the importer claimed that the wine in the bag in box would stay fresh for about six weeks after opening, I told him that I would sample a glass of wine every week for six weeks to make my own assessment before deciding on its purchase. True to his word, the importer was correct. I was amazed that throughout the six weeks of tasting, each glass tasted as if I had just opened the "bottle of wine."

Each was fresh and with no signs of oxidation, the malady that infects wine with the introduction of oxygen. I proceeded to engage in an agreement to represent this wine in Texas.
The brand name of this wine is Villa Magna, which is taken from the name of a small Italian village, and is owned by an American corporation of Italian-Argentine roots.

Villa Magna produces wine using the following varietals: Chardonnay; Cabernet Sauvignon; Merlot; and Malbec, and it is packaged in several forms.

First, the wine is bottled in standard 750 millimeter bottles. This allows those individuals who have a mental block to consuming wines in the bag in box package to still enjoy the quality and value of the Villa Magna brand.

The same wine is also packaged in a three-liter bag in box which was the basis for my examination. The three-liter bag in box pours about 20 glasses of wine and stays fresh for about six weeks after opening.

At regular retail markups, each glass of wine costs about $1.25. Furthermore, the same wine is also packaged in an authentic looking barrel that includes a three-liter bag. The bag in box comes with a spout that can be poured from the original bag in box or placed inside the plastic barrel, acting as a refill for the barrels.

Villa Magna wines are available at several local Italian restaurants and Lowe's supermarkets.