`Flavour Scalping` is Why Your Wine-in-a-Box Tastes Bad

When you get your wine from a box, you know you’re not getting the best quality. And that’s not just because of appearances.

Certain materials cause a process called “flavour scalping,” which draws certain chemicals right out of the food.

Right here on the site, we’ve seen that wine tasting is worthless guesswork, but our tongues are still good for a few things. They may not be able to tell the subtleties of a wine, but they can tell which wine has been kept in a bottle and which wine has been kept in a plastic pouch. For that matter, they can tell which juice has been kept in a bottle and which in a plastic pouch. Food companies, wanting to put their food in a package that is lightweight and durable, often encounter a phenomenon known as “flavour scalping.”

When you get your wine from a box, you know you’re not getting the best quality. And that’s not just because of appearances. Certain materials cause a process called “flavour scalping,” which draws certain chemicals right out of the food.


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