Boxed Wine in the Round, with a Spigot
By Dana Bowen

There's no question about it, boxed wines have a certain stigma attached to them. For some they are symbolic of the 1980's, for others it is the belief that you simply trashy and you cannot have good wine that is not in a bottle.

DTour is out to change all that. Aiming to overcome the stigma, they are putting their wine in bags placed within cardboard cylinders. Vacuum-sealed, it allows you to take one glass at a time, and keep the last glass tasting as good as the first.

Indeed, it's an easy fit in most refrigerators, where the tube can stand upright or rest on its side, its swiveling spigot hanging over the shelf.

Each tube holds the equivalent of four bottles, but it's far lighter and easier to tote to a party or a picnic. The cardboard acts as an insulator; after the tube is chilled, it stays cool for four hours at room temperature.

The 2004 chardonnay is getting a limited run in New York, New Jersey and Maryland this week. (2400 cylinders) A red should be available next summer.