Beginning of Revolution

When in Rome’s mission is to reduce that unholy pile of single-use wine bottles. They start by hand-picking premium quality craft wine from some of Italy’s best small and independent producers and they box it for them in the vineyard and send it to the UK by train.

When in Rome wants to smash people’s perceptions of box wine and start a box wine revolution. It’s all part of their plan to start a box wine revolution here in the UK – the likes of which they are already seeing in Scandinavia, Italy, France, Canada and the US.

Many people in the UK associate box wine with cheap plonk. Poor quality wine poured straight from the box into your glass – and you soon lose track of what you’re drinking. It’s not that different from Italy. Most Italian city dwellers still buy their wine in bottles.

But in the Italian countryside, things are different. Country folk like to visit their local winery with a refillable container – fill it, take it home, decant and enjoy. It’s how Italian families have been enjoying their wine for centuries. Thankfully, it’s a tradition that’s starting to seep back into city life. As more and, more Italians are starting to ditch single-use wine bottles in favour of box wine.

WINE THAT'S KINDER

Because their wine comes from smaller producers – whose families have been perfecting their craft over generations – it’s less intensively produced and kinder to the land. Boxed wine is far lighter to transport than bottles (so fewer emissions) and once you’re done the box can be recycled. They are working towards 100% recyclable packaging.

Once the wine is ready, the boxes are filled straight from the vat. They have boxes of two sizes. La Grande contains five litres (over 6 bottles) of wine and La Mezza contains 2.25 litres (3 bottles). Each journey starts in Verona when around 1,800 boxes – equivalent to around 12,000 bottles of wine – begin a seven-day journey across Italy, into France and through the Channel Tunnel. Once opened wine stays fresh for up to six weeks. La Mezza boxes will fit snugly inside the fridge door. And when you’re done the box can be recycled, they are still working on the bag to make it better.

When In Rome Wine Ltd is making a continuous effort towards getting small producers market their wines by buying their wines and packing them in the box with full descriptions. Here are few of the products being box packed by When In Rome.

Barbera DOC Piemonte: This Italian heavyweight is produced by Azienda Agricola Franco Roero, comes from the range of hills in the Monferrato UNESCO World Heritage area called the Zucchetto. It is rich, robust and full-bodied. It pairs well with rich risottos, red meat.

Sauvignon IGT Venezia Giulia: Wine has been produced on all 20 hectares by The Martincigh family. This rebel is Aromatic, well-structured vegan-friendly wine with aromas reminiscent of yellow peppers, flowers and fresh hay and has also got titled with Gold Award – 2018 Concours International Wine in Box.

Merlot IGT Veneto: This smooth red is created by Societa Agrivinicola Passarini Luigi and Gianfranco is a family-owned vineyard. A classic Merlot with a light, herbaceous taste. This delicate red, with its soft and dry aroma, is low in both alcohol and acidity – it’s vegan-friendly too.

Pinot Grigio IGT Venezia Giulia: Another gem by Martincigh family, his Pinot is as spritzy and crisp as early morning air in the Eastern Alpine foothills where it hails from. This well-structured, highly drinkable wine has light aromas of apples, pears, acacia flowers.

Nero d’Avola Sicilia DOC: The undisputed Godfather of Sicilian wines is produced by Cantina Sociale Sant’Antonio which is a Sicilian wine cooperative. The bold, fruity flavour of this wine is all thanks to the black grape of Avola, brought to Sicily by the Greeks has helped to win this wine a Gold Medal at London Wine Competition 2018.