Ladies, if the thought of showing up at a party or a picnic with a box of wine seems a little gauche, there's now a product for you: Vernissage's "bag-in-a-bag" of wine. It's boxed wine, shaped like a handbag. Elliot Stern, CEO of Squish Wines, is in charge of importing the bags, which originate in Sweden, into the U.S. He says it's a "whole new concept of design" meant to appeal to a classy lady heading out to lunch with the girls or dinner with her significant other. More than half of female drinkers chose wine over other alcoholic beverages, according to a recent Gallup poll, so there's reason to think this might appeal to a few women out there. The idea for the wine purse originated a few years back in Sweden. Alternative wine packaging has been surging across Scandinavia, and luxury wine expert Takis Soldatos took notice, Stern says. Soldatos then paired up with the bag designer, Sofia Bloomberg, and came up with the Vernissage brand. Since its Swedish debut in 2010, the wine-in-a-purse has launched in China, Japan and several other countries in Europe.

Stores in the U.S. will start seeing these bags of wine in the next few weeks. But since wine consumption continues to steadily climb, what took the purse so long to make its voyage here? The answer may lie within the stigma of boxed wine, which suffers a reputation for being cheap and generally lousy. Plus, a box can't really compete visually with a sleek glass bottle. best bc white wineAnd yet there's a silver lining to all the cardboard and plastic: Bags seem to actually be better than glass for preserving wine. food and wine magazine best new york restaurantsWhen a glass bottle is uncorked, air rushes in and starts to oxidize the wine, and distort the flavor. best wine basket delivery

The bag-in-box technology forces the wine out of the tap while only allowing in a minimal amount of oxygen. Hence, it keeps longer — even up to a few weeks. Oenophiles should be happy to know that Vernissage is pumping French wine from Vin de Pays d'Oc into its airtight bags. There's a Chardonnay Viognier (in a white bag), a Cabernet Shiraz (black), and a Rose (pink, of course). red wine dry scaleA 1.5-liter purse will run customers about $20. best box red wine 2013The 3-liter bag will cost about $40. best wine fiction booksAs for how well the purse will do stateside, only time will tell, but success on other continents bodes a promising future. best wine day trip from paris

People do accept change — eventually. "One generation ago no one was buying wine with a screw cap," Stern says, "and look now." Good point, Mr. Stern. Only thing we're wondering is if there's a man bag version of this in the works.Dispensing TravelDispensing PurseWine DispensingTote WineWine BagsTote SecretlySecretly HoldsDevious ToteSneaky WineForwardIt's everything you've ever wanted: a roomy purse that also happens to hold an entire bottle of wine in a secret compartment with a pour spout.best wine to buy in londonA substitute teacher at a South Carolina high school was transported to a local medical center on Friday morning after she was discovered to be so intoxicated that she could not even stand up, WIS-TV reported.what is the best new zealand white wine >> Read more trending stories Judith Elizabeth Richards-Gartee, 52, was taken to Lexington Medical Center after she threw up on the floor of a classroom, according to an incident report. 

An administrator at the school called a resource officer, and Richards-Gartee was transported to the nurse's office in a wheelchair before paramedics arrived to take her to the hospital, according to WIS-TV. Authorities said the woman had a box of wine concealed in her purse. "She had a box of wine in her bag that was opened, and students said she was consuming the wine during class," the Lexington County Sheriff's Department wrote in a report. Richards-Gartee was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. The Lexington School District released a statement on the incident Monday morning. "On Friday, March 10, 2017, it was reported to the Administration of Brookland-Cayce School that a substitute teacher was behaving erratically and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. This substitute is not an employee of the District, but works for Kelly Services. Kelly contracts with the District to provide substitute teachers. "The Administration responded immediately, removing the substitute from the classroom and sending her to the School Resource Officer.

The District has been advised that law enforcement has filed criminal charges against the Kelly employee." A @BCHSBearcats administrator notified our school resource officer about a substitute who was intoxicated while in class. #LCSDnews 2/4— Lexington Sheriff (@LCSD_News) March 11, 2017 She was charged and released to the care of paramedics who transported her to the hospital. #LESM #LCSDnews 4/4— Lexington Sheriff (@LCSD_News) March 11, 2017His And Hers Coffee MugsCouple Coffee MugsCouples CoffeeCoffee Beach QuotesCoffee Mug QuotesQuote MugsMermaid Coffee MugMermaid MugBlack MugsForwardHis Mermaid Mugs, Her Captain mugs, Wedding Mugs, Gifts for couples,... ($24) ❤ liked on Polyvore featuring home, kitchen & dining, drinkware, white coffee mugs, black mugs, white mug, quote mugs and quote coffee mugsBoxed wine just went couture, with a line by Swedish company Vernissage. Designed to look like a high-end handbag, Vernissage makes your wine-to-go even easier to transport, and you can show some style in the process.