SA's boxed wine sales overtook bottles for the first time ever in 2020
The SA Wine Industry Information and Systems (Sawis) has found that wine sales in South Africa fell by 20% last year due to the various alcohol bans during the pandemic.
RELATED: Winery CEO agrees that 'rooi proppie' and other cheap dop must be regulated
The industry body released data showing that boxed wine sales outsold bottled wine for the first time.
While sales of wine in glass bottles declined by 24% to 121.5 million litres sold, boxed wine sales only dropped 10% to 126.3 million.
The data also shows an increasing interest in the canned wine category. South Africans bought more than 69,000 litres of canned wine last year.
RELATED: More people buying cases of wine to stock up home cellars, says Ken Forrester
Award-winning wine writer, Malu Lambert says boxed wine may have sold more last year because there were simply more units on the shelves.
The alternative theory is that South Africans were looking for a cheaper alternative that provides more litres of booze.
Either way, Lambert explains that bag-in-box is meant to be consumed right away once it has been opened. The same goes for canned wine.
RELATED: Wine in a can: the good, the bad and the decidedly tasty
I, unfortunately, haven't tasted any boxed wine in quite a long time but I have tasted a lot of canned wine and I presume that the quality is on the same level as boxed wine, which is good.
Malu Lambert, Wine writer - wine.co.za
But I think there is an important distinction to make about wines that are packaged in these metal containers and aerobic conditions without a cork - they are meant to be drunk upon release, they are meant to be fresh...
Malu Lambert, Wine writer - wine.co.za
They are not meant to be fine wine by any stretch of the imagination. They are not meant to age... I think the key factor to remember is that it's all about freshness.
Malu Lambert, Wine writer - wine.co.za
Listen to the discussion on Afternoon Drive with John Maytham:

Source : https://www.123rf.com/photo_93253706_a-woman-with-a-red-shopping-bag-chooses-alcohol-in-a-supermarket-selection-of-products-in-the-superm.html
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