Containers

Since I always mention the type of the bottle, you might be thinking that it's some sort of pet peeve of mine. I mean why should you give a rat's about the bottle the wine comes in? It doesn't affect the way it tastes after all? Or does it?
For the most part, no it doesn't. There are exceptions -

Exceptions to bottle taste

• Jugs - A draw back about a large bottles in general is that since wine does not do well once opened, you should plan on drinking it right away, but with the quantity of wine in a jug, you will end up getting good and sloshed by the time it's empty (although; maybee that's what the customers of Jug wine have in mind anyway). On the plus side for large format bottles (but not jugs) is that if you plan on cellaring your wine for any significant length of time, a large format bottle will do a better job. The reason for this is in a large format bottle (like a magnum), less wine is exposed to oxidation than in two regular bottles. A jug, on the other hand, is not designed with this in mind. In a jug, more wine is exposed to the oxidizing effects of the air in the bottle. And lastly, There is no serious wine maker currently bottling wine in a jug. Every jug I have seen is rot gut plonk.; so its also a good indicator of poor quality.
• Boxes - Now, box wine is not really "Wine in a Box" it's wine in a bag; with the bag in a box. The upside of box wine is that you can take several days to consume the wine without worrying about oxidation. The reason for this is that there is no air in the bag to cause oxidation. The downsides are:
  1. Can't age your wine - Wines in a bag don't breath; so they are poor for aging.
  2. Plastic - The plastic bag can impart a plastic or "New Car Smell" taste to your wine
  3. Quality - No serious wine maker that I know of currently distributes their product in a box; so the likelihood of obtaining a quality wine in a box is low
• Colour - Wine bottles are dark in colour for a reason - Sunlight affects the taste of wine. I don't need to say much here, because only Bum Wines come in clear bottles (and if you are drinking them then you are probably not reading my blog)

And here are the reasons for choosing a traditional bottle:

• Serving size - a 750ml bottle is the perfect size for two people to drink with a meal
• Tradition - As I have said before; Wine is a luxury item. Part of the enjoyment of luxury items comes from the tradtions and rituals associated with them.
• Indicators - If I am finding it difficult to choose between two wines I have not had before, the one in the correct style bottle for the type of wine will always be the one I choose. Why? well, if the vintner paid attention to that level of detail, than chances are he or she paid close attention to all the other levels of detail that it takes to produce a good wine.

The Verdict:

Your likelihood of finding a good quality wine is highest if the wine comes in the proper style bottle for the wine; least likely if the bottle is made of clear glass (but you knew that). The rest fall in the middle in this order:

1. Proper style of bottle
2. Improper style of bottle
3. Much further down the scale: Box
4. Jug
5. Clear bottle