When you think of great Australian inventions, the usual suspects come to mind - Vegemite, sheep shearers, Stubbies, the bionic ear, dual-flush dunnies, budgie smugglers, zinc cream, Uggboots, the winged keel.

But perhaps the greatest, and zaniest, invention came in 1965 … the wine cask (invented by Thomas Angove of Renmark, South Australia).

Cask wine - not the classiest of choices but a great Australian tradition.

Lovingly known as the goon bag, it (eventually) led beer-guzzling Aussies down the vinious path, and we've never looked back.

What endears the wine cask to so many is its value and longevity - as wine is consumed, the bag collapses, thus preventing contact with air and oxidisation, keeping the wine fresh for longer periods. A cask wine can't be corked or spoiled (but should still be consumed within a few weeks).