The French had some merriment at our expense when our vintners began selling wine in a box. You put the box, about the size of a six-pack, in your refrigerator and by pushing a button valve you got yourself a glass of chilled wine.

Americans thought it convenient; the French thought it somewhat gauche. But the point is, our vintners were selling wine and, increasingly, the French are having trouble doing so, at least in the quantities to which they've been accustomed, and they've especially had problems selling to young people.

Cordier Mestrezat Grand Crus, a maker of fine Bordeaux wines, believes it has a solution, reports The Wall Street Journal. The vineyard is going to start selling wine in a sippy box, an adult version of the juice boxes parents pack in little kids' school lunches. And, like the juice boxes, it comes with a straw attached - a special straw, to be sure, but a straw nonetheless.

Anticipating resistance from tradition-minded French wine drinkers, Cordier plans on trying to develop export markets for its sippy boxes. Yet we wouldn't count on their success in the United States. Sure, convenience usually trumps gauche for American consumers. Still, a straw?