Don’t put a cork in it: why Australia still loves its boxed ‘goon’ wine | Adele Wessell

As the environmental benefits of casks become more important to new consumers, the quality of their contents is on the rise

Boxed wine is one of Australia's most extraordinary contributions to the wine industry, also known as cardboardeaux, bag-in-box or, more commonly, goon (from flagon).

The Australian winemaker Thomas Angrove patented the design for a one-gallon polyethylene bladder in a cardboard box in 1965, inspired by the ancient method of storing wine in goat skins. The first model required drinkers to cut a corner of the plastic bag and reseal it with a special category peg (used to transport battery acid).