Sometimes it is just not feasible to consume a whole bottle of wine or sake in one sitting or circumstances require moving said liquid from one location to another. Recorking and re-screwing are not ideal. The former is not necessarily the most effective way to prevent oxidation, and while re-screwing may do the trick, it is often not an option with fine wines. Furthermore, there is still the problem presented by the heavy glass bottle.
In years past the Bota bag might have been employed at such times, especially in certain countries. These canteens were made of leather or goatskin, and the liquid could be squirted into the mouth water-gun style. “…entire tanned hides, sometimes with the hair left on, were once used to make waterproof canteens, like the bota bag of Spain….”1
The bota bag is not extinct, but there is now a 21st-century version on the market. I encountered this variety at Winter JFEX 2025. Vie-de Vin is a lightweight plastic pouch marketed by Inter Holdings Co, Ltd., a Tokyo-based firm. The company uses a special two-cap arrangement to ensure that the unwelcome oxygen is safely and easily removed from these storage pouches. I examined two sizes, one holding 750 ml and the other about the size of a hip flask. The former is ideal for restaurants and bars, as well as for home use. For the traveling man, the latter is perfect.
Link: info@inter-hs.com
1Weaver, S., The Goat: A Natural and Cultural History, “Goats and People,” (Princeton University Press, 2020).
