Wine in a cardboard box with a characteristic inscription on the label is the main guest, comrade and brother of almost any gathering for a Russian person of absolutely any age after adulthood. Such a product is affordable, easy to use, because it does not need a corkscrew, and is relatively strong. At the same time, more status drinks fall under the “shmurdyak” category, since the position “wine in a box” itself is not a quality criterion. The article will tell you how to separate one from the other and not to accidentally buy a surrogate, which can lead to serious health consequences.
Terminology specifics
So what is a shmurdyak and what is he? First of all, it is important to note that such a term is slang and is not generally accepted. The most accurate designation of the word is a surrogate, that is, alcohol that was bottled, and possibly prepared in a private household for the purpose of subsequent resale. A surrogate is very cheap at cost, since it often consists of industrial waste or low-quality raw materials as such. Of course, this is not worth drinking. However, you still need to know what a shmurdyak is, as well as what key features he has.
Key differences
Understand that the buyer is a surrogate before the box is opened. There are a lot of criteria, someone advises to pay attention to the quality of packaging, others insist on the importance of excise duty. You should not be shy and ask the seller, if it is a specialized distributor point, documents confirming the authenticity of the product. It’s worth starting with this. Next is already checking the integrity of the box, the presence of excise tax and many other criteria. In addition, shmurdyak can simply be a low-quality alcohol-containing drink that has nothing to do with real wine.
In particular, you should pay attention to such key features of a particular package:
- the presence of a clear address and name of the manufacturer;
- excise;
- clear composition of the product;
- lack of violations in the tightness of the package;
- availability of additional information on the Internet.
If the buyer doubts about the authenticity of a product, it is better to be safe and buy wine in a bottle.
Benefits and baseless myths
It is imperative to understand that not all wines in a box relate to surrogates or simply low-quality products. This is the first and most important groundless myth that has been circulated by the people for a very long time. Of course, expensive and high-status liquor stores in Moscow are unlikely to distribute such products, but in principle you can meet a good table drink in a box in a supermarket. It does not lose in quality to its “brother” in glass, while it is cheaper and much more convenient. As for the other myths in this category of goods, they can be distinguished in such a list:
- Packaging affects the taste palette. This myth is very ambiguous. Yes, the wine in the box does not breathe and aging for a long period in such a container entails oxidation and a deterioration in taste. But this is important only when it comes to an expensive, collection drink. Hardly the taste of "Wine 777" can spoil the box.
- Such a drink is cheaper because its recipe does not contain a blend of grape varieties. Also a baseless accusation. If a particular wine in a box is made under license by a well-known producer, then it is 100% made from grapes, not concentrated raw materials, the reputation is more expensive.
- Once the bag is open, the wine will go bad. Not quite right. The shelf life of the drink will decrease, but it is unlikely to deteriorate. In any case, this will happen at the same speed as the alcohol in the bottle, the tightness of which was broken.
At the same time, the wine in the box has a number of indisputable advantages, including durability, ease of transportation, simple and quick access. If we are talking about the so-called inner bag of several layers of foil, we can also talk about additional protection from sabotage. All this is available at a price lower than counterparts in bottles, so the fear of products in the package is at least unreasonable.
Wine in a gift box
Such wine in a box is often a matter of pride and is an extremely expensive, collection drink. Do not confuse it with packaged alcohol. However, it is difficult to do, given the cost of both categories of goods. Wine shops in Moscow, as in other Russian cities, can speculate on the fear of a person to purchase a packaged drink. Thus, a cheap but presentable drink in a bottle gets to the consumer’s basket.
It is noteworthy that in other countries of the world this is completely absent, since buying wine in a box is not shameful or even profitable. So, for example, in Italy, the most massive lines of alcohol are sold mostly in boxes, not bottles. Glass containers serve just as a gift, not a daily product, which is logical and reasonable.
Is it always that cheap?
For example, consider the Codici Primitivo merlot, a pretty good wine, the cost of which for 3 liters averages from 2.3 to 2.5 thousand rubles. The price tag for a bottle of 0.75 liters is already from 680 to 800 rubles and above. With the transition to more affordable products, the difference becomes even more obvious. However, it is worth remembering that there is always a risk of buying the said surrogate. So, for example, a package of "Wine 777" or "Port" in a package resembling juice, is unlikely to cross the threshold of $ 1 at a price. But to buy such a drink, guided by considerations of economy, is still not worth it. It is always worth remembering that the box is not the cheapest wine, such a statement is outdated.
Is it worth buying or not?
If the buyer expects to get just good alcohol at a bargain price and in convenient packaging - yes, it really does. Wine in a box has long ceased to be exclusively low-quality products, turning into just a convenient format of the drink, which also does not harm the environment as much as glass. In addition to savings, the client can count on convenience in transportation, durability and comfort, which almost always outweighs the hour of the balance in favor of such a container. On the other hand, there is the same shmurdyak, who should be kept away from as far as possible.