French Wine Goes Pop

A screw-top Bordeaux? The once-laughable notion is bubbling up in France these days as wine makers try to reverse decades of sour sales, the AP reports. Even snazzy labels and boxed-wine-with-a-straw are fair game, after French wineries exported a record $15 billion last year with "New World"-style packaging.

"Finally, we understood we had to change not only production but also the way the product is presented," said a honcho at the French wine federation. "We had to make the buying process easier." Screw tops prevent wine from oxidizing, too. But the sight of a $2,000 screw-top bottle has turned off some French buyers: "It's fast food wine," one said. (More wine stories.)