A plethora of boxed wines are on the market
I often find myself perusing the wine section of the grocery store. The past year or so, I noticed a ton of new boxed wines on the shelf. Now, I don’t necessarily consider myself a wine snob, but wine in a box?? That’s for old ladies and teenagers – those who only drink Zinfandel and have not acquired a taste for robust flavors. Well I am here to tell you that the stereotype is about to be banished.
I am in love with boxed wine!
At my fave local wine shop I asked the man whom I normally hunt down for suggestions what was up with the sudden abundance of boxed wine. Turns out, the idea of putting wine in a box,or more accurately– in a bag within a box– is genius! The packaging solves major problems that wine has battled with since the beginning of mass production. No matter how pretty a bottle is, the fixed volume permits air to enter when wine is removed. Air attacks and degrades wine, making it important to drink up what remains within no more than a few days.
I notice a difference in taste the next day so I have been known to consume an entire bottle with my sweetie instead of capping – not always the best idea. This problem of oxidation has been solved with boxed wine, as it eliminates space for air to occupy. The vacuum sealed bag inside shrinks along down when wine is poured. Wine can stay fresh for weeks once it has been opened! Boxes hold the equivalent of four bottles within – the price is higher than a bottle, but when you do the math most wines come in much lower if you compare to purchasing four bottles.
Needless to say, with this new information and the fact that these boxed wines seem to continuously be on sale (to encourage people to try it out) – I bought one immediately. It tasted wonderful upon opening and continued to taste great for three weeks! It was so nice to have one small glass of wine after dinner, knowing that the rest would still be fresh days later. So far my faves are Big House Red produced by Big House and Pinot Noir produced by Bota Box.
Although producers have known of this ideal packaging solution, (which is also much more earth friendly than bottles) there was such a stigma that it’s taken quite a while for any decent wines to be offered in a box. The choices now are far superior to what has been on the market in the past. Of course there is still a place for bottled wine – when you want to age a nice red or take a bottle to present to the host of a party – but for table wine at home, boxed is the way to go!
Have you had experience with the new boxed wines? If so, what are your favorite brands?
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I also love box wine and this trend of alternative wine packaging makes sense! My company, Green Barrel, offers premium local wine in a 9L EcoPack dispensing from a custom counter top barrel. The 9L pack is equivalent to a case of wine and is replaced within the custom wine barrel as needed. Once the wine is tapped, it is fresh for up to 4 weeks with no concern for spoilage or waste, and with less of a footprint.
http://www.greenbarrelwine.com
I love that boxed wine seems to last so much longer than bottled wine. I don’t have a favorite (Yellow Tail, my go-to weekday wine) seems firmly entrenched in the bottle, but I have tried Red Wagon and thought it palatable.
Extra bonus for red wine: You can take it camping, and not have to worry about the bottle breaking OR bringing along a corkscrew!