Wine Cask
A More Convenient And Economical Way To Store Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage that has been popular in many cultures for centuries. Wine goes ‘bad’ when exposed to air and so many methods have been used to try to prevent air exposure including; storing in glass bottles, wooden barrels, stone jugs and even animal skins.
In 1965 Thomas Angove of Angove’s Winemakers and Distillers, of Renmark in South Australia, invented a cask with a resealable plastic spout but stopped marketing it in 1971 due to unreliability. In 1972 another Australian wine company called Penfolds improved on the design by adding a tap and placing the plastic bag into a cardboard box.
The bag was placed in the cardboard box and an easy to press out opening was created so that the tap could be pulled through on first use. The tap then remained outside the box to allow for easy access.
The wine filled bag inside the cardboard box would collapse as wine was poured out maintaining the air vacuum thus keeping the remaining contents from being exposed to air. This greatly extended the storage of the wine and allowed larger quantities to be sold at one time without the requirement to immediately drink it all once it was opened.
The square packaging is also more convenient and much lighter than other available means of wine distribution. It is easier to store and not as prone to breakage as glass.
The Wine Cask became extremely popular and is used by every major wine producer and is also now being used for other beverages including orange juice.
