# Alternative Wine Packaging with Melissa Saunders MW

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/guildsomm-podcast-671626/alternative-wine-packaging-with-melissa-saunders-mw
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/guildsomm-podcast-671626/alternative-wine-packaging-with-melissa-saunders-mw.md
Podcast: [GuildSomm Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/guildsomm-podcast-671626)
Published: 2026-03-17T13:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.guildsomm.com/public_content/features/podcasts/b/guild_podcasts/posts/alternative-packaging-with-mw-melissa-saunders
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/guildsomm/GSI_Podcast_Alternative_Wine_Packaging_with_Melissa_Saunders_MW_3_17_2026.mp3?dest-id=52316
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/guildsomm-podcast-671626/episodes/alternative-wine-packaging-with-melissa-saunders-mw
Duration seconds: 2985

## Resource

In this episode, host and Master Sommelier Chris Tanghe interviews Master of Wine Melissa Saunders about progressive wine packaging. They discuss the use of bag-in-box (BIB) packaging for fine wine, dispelling the stereotype that these containers are only for cheap beverages. For Melissa's Master of Wine Research Paper, the final part of the certification process, she studied alternative wine packaging. What she learned while writing it was so compelling that she founded Communal Brands, a bag-in-box import company that partners with high-quality producers to bring great wine to consumers with a drastically reduced carbon footprint. Melissa lives in upstate New York, runs marathons, and is an attorney specializing in alcohol beverage law. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review, as it helps us connect and grow the GuildSomm community. Cheers! Read Melissa's 2021 GuildSomm article about her MW Research Paper process and findings: https://www.guildsomm.com/public_content/features/mw-perspectives/b/mw-perspectives/posts/environmental-impacts-of-packaging-retail Learn more about Communal Brands: https://www.communalbrands.com/

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## Transcript

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