Two boxes of wine sit in the soft grass at sunset. Wild Rock Rosé is a pink box with an illustration of Cape Blomidon, Wild Rock White is a pale blue box with an illustration of the Gaspereau Valley.

Another Step Forward: Introducing Wild Rock in an Eco-Friendly 3L Bag-in-Box Format

Many of you reading this may be here for our méthode classique sparkling wines, the backbone of our portfolio and driving vision since our beginning in 1999. So while this announcement may surprise you, rest assured, we’re not abandoning our roots. Our next ultra-premium, laser precision, extended lees aged sparkler is in the cellar now, awaiting a holiday release. Join our email community for updates, stay in the loop by subscribing here

In lockstep with our earliest mission of being a sustainable, trailblazing, and forward-thinking farm winery, our efforts of inclusivity and innovation only make those rare, inimitable sparklings all the more meaningful. We are no longer simply Canada’s sparkling wine house; we are defined by a tight-knit collective of people at Benjamin Bridge who believe in a common goal of making an impact on our local community, our region, and our generation. Our vehicle for positive social change is a purpose-driven agri-business that produces sparkling wine, and we’re delighted to share our latest chapter in that story. 

Today, we’re thrilled to unveil a new format, one that is leaps and bounds more sustainable than a traditional heavy glass bottle: introducing our Wild Rock collection of wines in a 3-litre bag-in-box! This move is more than just a new way to enjoy our wines—it’s a step forward in addressing the environmental challenges facing the wine industry today.

 


 

Why is the Bag-in-Box format important to Benjamin Bridge?

We know, we know! You hear the words boxed wine and think low quality, cheap ‘carboardeaux’. We had our preconceived notions about boxed wines, too. However, as we’ve grown our winery’s farm and production and dialled in our practices, we’ve also been able to step back to look at the bigger picture. Over the past 10 years, we’ve participated in many formal and informal discussions around the climate crisis and the impact of the winemaking industry. We recognize that as producers of a consumer good, we have to be accountable for the waste that we create and pass on to our customers. And now that we are B Corp certified, it's more important than ever to our mission.  

Additionally, the local economy has shifted around us in recent years, and we, like our customers, are seeking solid value in the products we purchase without compromising on quality. By embracing more efficient and cost-effective packaging options, we're able to offer wines that deliver exceptional value without sacrificing the very highest quality that our customers expect. This approach allows us to prioritize both sustainability and quality, ensuring these wines remain accessible to a wider audience.

There are many reasons for packaging our Wild Rock wines in a box format; reducing both packaging and wine waste, reducing weight, thereby saving transportation and storage energy, and chief among the reasons is the preservation of quality! 

 

Preservation of Quality

Beyond the unquestionable environmental benefits, bag-in-box formats extend the life of your wine, staying fresh for up to four weeks after opening—perfect for casual sipping at home or gatherings with friends and family! 

Oxygen is the enemy of finished wine. While a little bit of oxidation can help produce beautiful wines in barrels, once a wine is finished and ready for packaging, winemakers make every effort to keep oxygen away from it. Oxidation is the natural process whereby wine continues its destiny from fruit to vinegar, its state of drinking wine being only a stopping point. You might be familiar with this process, as this is what happens to an opened bottle of wine after several days. With this new format, in the final step of the winemaking process, each bag is filled by hand from tank to bag using a vacuum method, so wine never touches air, unlike bottles that inherently are filled with it. Then, once the box is brought home by a customer and opened, the spigot technology works with gravity to dispense the wine without opening the packaging. Again, minimizing, if not eliminating, the wine’s contact with oxygen. 

What does this mean for you? This means that the Wild Rock White box you opened last weekend with friends to enjoy will still be fresh this weekend, next weekend, and likely even the weekend after that. No more spoiling that last bit of wine in the bottle, and no more questioning if you want to open a whole bottle to enjoy just one glass and risk not drinking it quickly enough.  

 

Environmental Impact: Up to 90% More Eco-Friendly

The wine industry has long relied on heavy glass bottles, and while they may be traditional, they come with significant environmental costs. Glass bottles require substantial energy to produce through high-heat manufacturing and are heavy to transport, contributing to higher carbon consumption and emissions. In contrast, our bag-in-box formats offer a lightweight, eco-friendly alternative with a recyclable cardboard container made here in the Maritimes from local forestry products, as opposed to glass shipped to us from Germany. A single 3L bag-in-box holds the equivalent of four (4) bottles of wine but weighs significantly less, allowing for more efficient shipping and storage, another factor that contributes to the carbon emissions of any given product. 

This year, we worked with the fine folks at EastPoint Engineering based in Halifax to audit our winery’s energy consumption and emissions and develop a management plan. As part of their report, they referenced two scientific articles—Point et al, 2012, Ferrara et al, 2020—and reported that bag-in-box format is 60-90% less carbon intensive than standard glass bottles for a Nova Scotia winery. By incorporating this packaging, we reduce our reliance on glass and reduce emissions from shipping heavier products from Europe to the winery, from the winery to our retail partners, and from retail to a restaurant or home. 

 

Wild Rock: The Perfect Wine for Bag-in-Box 

Over the past 25 years, Benjamin Bridge has curated a diverse portfolio of high-quality wines diverse in style but connected in quality. From red to white to rosé, our Wild Rock collection showcases a signature house style honed through decades of winemaking experimentation, learning and expertise. Varietal compositions may vary each year, but these crowd-pleasing classics will always capture the craftsmanship and deliciousness that have made Benjamin Bridge wines a local tradition and an international success.

Our intention with launching the Wild Rock collection was to offer a staple, go-to wine for our customers, something that would easily pair with dinner and not break the bank. Our wonderful customers give us so much feedback on our wines and what they’d like to see. We often hear how Nova 7 is the perfect wine for enjoying sunset on a summer’s night, and how our Brut Reserve is opened for guests who really ‘know something’ about winemaking, or how a cold can of Piquette Zero is proudly handed to a pregnant party guest offering them a celebratory alternative without alcohol. But what our customers told us was missing was a Benjamin Bridge ‘table wine’; beautiful, clean, straightforward wines that would satisfy everyone’s tastes at your dinner table. You speak, and we listen, so our Wild Rock wines were born to meet that demand and in turn, have become absolute team favourites. 

Wild Rock White, Rosé, and Red are perfect candidates for the box format because they are not sparkling (the soft bag and box would tolerate the pressure!). They are fresh and crisp, and not intended for long ageing in the cellar. 

Wild Rock White - perfect for the lover of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and unoaked Chardonnay

Wild Rock Rosé - akin to a southern French rosé, dry with subtle fruit notes, and fine aromatics

Wild Rock Red - a light-bodied red for those who enjoy elegant Pinot Noir or cool climate Gamay


Moderation Made Beautiful 

Some folks might look at this large format and think it encourages overconsumption when in fact, bag-in-box wines are a tool for moderation. 

As touched on earlier, the gravity spigot technology allows the wine to be dispensed without opening the entire vessel to oxidation. Once tapped, these boxed wines can stay fresh for a minimum of three (3) weeks—our recommended drinking time is four to six (4-6) weeks after breaking the seal—meaning there is no rush to ‘finish the bottle’ or waste wine that has oxidised overnight. Storing these boxes in the fridge will further maximise the freshness of the wine while keeping your wine at an ideal cool temperature. Even the red can be stored in the fridge and allowed to come up to a warmer temperature in your glass. 

While the box holds four (4) bottles of wine, we know our consumers are social people who love to share our wines with friends. This larger format is designed to be a one-stop shop for a big social gathering; with a white, rosé, and a red, we’ve got you covered for everything but the beer drinker. Take a box to the cottage, cabin, hotel stay, or rural getaway, to share with friends. Take a box camping for a long weekend, reducing the weight and waste you have to carry out. From picnics to events, this new format is the perfect solution for social gatherings. 

A tip from our hospitality team on moderating: know your stemware!

Knowing the glass you’re pouring into will help you estimate how many standard drinks you’ve had. Some glasses can be deceptively voluminous, holding well more than your standard pour. Where the wine is in an opaque box, you won’t be able to tell by holding up the bottle to see how much you’ve had. If in doubt, measure: a standard glass is five (5) ounces, 150ml or ⅔ cups. 

 

Leading by Example in Sustainable Practices

Our commitment to sustainability at Benjamin Bridge goes beyond our choice of packaging. With this launch, we are tackling the broader conversation within the wine industry about the future of wine packaging. Heavy bottles, while beautiful and iconic, are not aligned with a sustainable future. As a winery rooted in environmental stewardship, we believe the time has arrived to reconsider our collective impact on the planet. 

With the release of Wild Rock Rosé, White, and Red in this new format, we are proud to be at the cutting edge of that change. Not all wine styles are suited to this format;for example, our méthode classique wines require heavy, strong bottles to withstand the pressure from the C02 generated by secondary fermentation equivalent to that of a car tire. So for now, those wines and others will remain in traditional bottles, but we look to aluminum cans and bag-in-box formats wherever we can to lessen our impact and emissions. 

 

Approachability

The Wild Rock 3L bag-in-box format offers not only an eco-conscious solution but also a way to experience exceptional quality with ease and approachability. While the larger format provides undeniable savings by volume, it does so without compromising the integrity of the wine itself. Each sip of Wild Rock Rosé, White, or Red is crafted with the same meticulous care and precision as our finest offerings, ensuring that the elegance of Benjamin Bridge remains at the forefront. The convenience of this format allows for seamless integration into your busy life, making fine wine a more accessible luxury while preserving the artisanal craftsmanship and distinct character of every bottle.

Since day one, Benjamin Bridge has been driven by innovation. From our pioneering work with traditional method sparkling wines in Nova Scotia to our embrace of hybrid grape varieties that thrive in our cool climate, we have always pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in winemaking. The launch of Wild Rock in this new format is a natural extension of that philosophy. It’s a step toward a future where exceptional wine can coexist with conscientious environmental choices. 

We invite you to try Wild Rock in its new 3L bag-in-box format, experience the same great wine in a more sustainable package, and be a part of the change we want to see in the wine world. Together, we can raise our glasses to both great wine and a healthier planet! 

Shop Wild Rock 3L now.

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