Boxed Wine: Is it Time to Come Out of the Cellar?

When boxed wine became available a few years ago, I had to try it. At first I loved the convenience of having a glass of wine available without opening a new bottle for just one or two people, as well as the convenience of having a decent wine to cook with - "on tap" - shall we say. However, the uniqueness and convenience of the boxed wines fell flat when the quality did not improve. Most boxed wine was wine I wouldn't drink with my best meals or serve to guests. Eventually, boxed wine lost its place in my refrigerator and a new wine cooler took the place of the box.

I thought boxed wines were a fad.

Flash forward a few years and many things have changed. My beloved wine bottles now come with plastic "corks" or - horrors - screw caps! And boxed wine is now being sold as a "green" product. While wine connoisseurs may debate whether bottles or recyclable plastic and cardboard are better for the environment, one thing is for sure, manufacturers have found boxed wines to be more convenient to produce and to ship.

And because of that boxed wines are improving.

Boxed Wine - More than just the chunky cube

When I went to the store to taste test some boxed wine, I was surprised to see that the chunky cubes of a few years ago have been replaced with all sizes of boxed wine. Particularly interesting are the 1-liter tetra paks which are more nearly the size of a wine bottle - but constructed of cardboard and plastic, of course.

When looking for the best boxed wines, look for an Australian or French wine first. You may be surprised to find that Australia has been producing boxed wine for at least 30 years and France has been producing them for many years as well. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, as of 2005 over 50% of the wine consumed in Australia was boxed wine.

Best Boxed Wine - The Reds

Lizard Flat Shiraz
Maker: Heath Wines, Bowden, South Australia
You won't find many complex red wines in the boxed wines yet but you can still find some interesting reds to complement casual dinners. This Lizard Flat Shiraz tastes like cherries and blackberries. This is a simple, but good boxed red wine. And okay, the box is so cute.

The Tank Vin Rouge
Maker: Cotes de Rhone, France
Perfect with hamburgers or barbecue, you'll just be joining an appreciative crowd if you take a liking to this boxed red wine. Look on any list and you'll find Cotes de Rhone mentioned over and over as a stand-out wine in the boxed wine market.

Best Boxed Wine - The Whites

Bandit Chardonnay
Maker: Three Thieves, California
This is my go-to boxed white wine when we want to take some seafood and head down to the beach. The one liter size is perfect for a few glasses at a picnic for just my husband and me. And no worrying about the glass bottle.

Bandit Pinot Grigio
Maker: Three Thieves, California
Pinot Grigio is just about my favorite white wine and the Bandit brand is again a winner in my book. I love the melon taste in this boxed wine and while it is an obvious choice once again for seafood, it is also great with the white pizza that we make on our backyard grill.

Feeling Adventurous?

Wine Cube
Maker: Target
Target?! I know, I know, but a non-intimidating way to sample the boxed wines is by picking up one at Target. The Shiraz is one boxed red wine to try from Target. Others swear by the Sauvignon Blanc. Some people really like the Target wines. Some people can't stand them. For me, the quality seems to be a little spotty from box to box - but still worth a try. Treat the Target Cubes as your "everyday" house wines and you probably won't be disappointed. If you don't like them then move on up to the next level of boxed wine.

Sources:
Tyler Coleman, "Drink Outside the Box," NYTimes.com
Richard Kinssies, "On Wine: Premium Wine from a box? Tasting is believing," Seattlepi.com