LONDON, May 14 (UPI) -- White wine stored in plastic bottles or boxes loses its flavor in six months but remains stable in glass bottles, a study found.
The chemical composition that gives white wine its flavor changes within six months of being put in plastic bottles or plastic-lined boxes, Britain's Daily Mail reported Friday.
Researchers at the Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences in Bordeaux, France, discovered alcohol oxidization in that time period if the wine is packed in single and multi-layer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles or a bag-in-box configuration, the newspaper said.
White and red wine was found to be stable in glass bottles, the study said.
The wine institute scientists tested red and white Bordeaux wines that were contained in glass, single-layer PET, multi-layer PET and bag-in-box packaging before being stored in laboratory conditions, the Mail said.
The level of oxygen, carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide in the wine was then measured. The scientists also checked for taste and color intensity at regular intervals over the year.
The Daily Mail reports the study contradicts claims made by retailers such as Marks & Spencer and Waitrose concerning the long shelf life of wine in plastic packaging.
