A magnum of fine wine for £25? It’s in the bag!

THEY have long been seen as a rather unsophisticated option for a dinner party.

But the wine box could be about to make a comeback after being given an upmarket make-over.

One winemaker has started selling a version containing better quality wines than those associated with boxes in the past.

And they are bigger than ever, holding 1.5 litres – the size of a magnum. Wine boxes actually store the liquid in bags hidden inside and winemaker Andrew Nielsen has now come up with the ‘bagnum’, which he created to cut down on the amount of packaging used to store wine.

The 42-yearold said they are lighter and therefore cheaper to transport than glass bottles and that as a result, decent wines can be 20 to 30 per cent cheaper when sold boxed instead of bottled. He is selling bagnums at his London store Le Grappin for £25.95, the equivalent of around £13 a bottle – and they are his most popular product. Wines include a Chardonnay, pictured, from 25-year-old French vines.

Mr Nielsen, who lives in Forest Hill, London, is originally from Australia where boxed wine is more common. He said bagnums also preserve wines for weeks rather than days because, unlike with bottles, air cannot get inside and spoil the contents.

Tim Atkin, a master of wine who co-chairs the International Wine Challenge, said: ‘I love the idea of the bagnum. The bladder pack, as Aussies bluntly call them, still carries some negative baggage in the UK, but this could change things for the better. It’s a quick and convenient way to drink tasty wine.’