"He had a weak point--this Fortunato--although in other regards he was a man to be respected and even feared. He prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine."  Edgar Allan Poe, (1809-1849), American author, editor and poet, in The Cask of Amontillado.

Wine In A Box

Winery Insight Featured Article - January 2007 by Timothy O. Rice

Do you drink wine from a box?

Boxed wine is one of the growing trends in the wine industry today.  Originally associated with inexpensive or cheap wines, in recent years it has been used for more upscale wines and become a widespread alternative to bottles in Australia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and even France.  After a slow start in America, boxed wines began to become more popular in the last five years.  Through the efforts of some producers, boxed wine has started to loose the stigma of the jug-style wines and is now offered as an inexpensive way to purchase a better wine.

Boxed wine derives its' name from the packaging.  The wine is stored in a multi-layered plastic bag with a spigot or tap.  After the bag is filled, it is vacuum-sealed and placed in the box, which is really needed only for shipping and convenience.  The bag used contains 3 liters of wine, the equivalent of four 750-ml bottles.

Advocates of boxed wines will speak of two advantages this boxed wine packaging delivers: low cost and longer life for the wine once opened.

The low cost is completely related to the packaging.  The bag, tap, and cardboard box costs much less than the four bottles with corks, labels and seals required to handle the same amount of wine in a traditional manner.  The same amount of wine will occupy less space in shipping and storage (because the container is smaller than four bottles with the associated empty space in the case).  It weighs less (because the cardboard and plastic bag weigh less than four glass bottles).  The box can come pre-printed; the labels have to be affixed, the cork inserted and sealed, on the bottle.  Handling of the boxed wine is easier and more efficient than the bottles, requiring less effort.  For the wine producer, the cost savings and benefits are obvious enough, sometimes as much as an 80% packaging cost reduction.  When that translates into a lower price for the same quality wine to the consumer, this becomes a reason the average wine drinker can appreciate.

The difference in packaging also removes the possibility of "cork-taint" spoiling the wine.  While the size of this problem is much argued about, and some people are much more able to detect it than others, it is a real one.  A small but significant single-digit percentage of wine is affected by it.  With a boxed wine, there is no cork, and so no possibility of it beginning after the wine is sealed in the bag.

The longer life after opening is a result of the bag and tap enclosure for the wine.  The tap is mounted at the bottom of one side of the box, and the bag collapses inside the box as wine is used and the bag begins to empty.  This slows down the oxidization process that begins to sap a wine of its' virtue as soon as you open a bottle.  Producers claim a boxed wine will stay fresh, first glass to last, for about four weeks after opening.  That is a major difference from the very short time you would expect the same wine to remain undiminished in a bottle.

There are also advantages of convenience for the consumer.  Boxed wine can be very convenient at a large gathering.  Just set the box up on the edge of a table or a refrigerator shelf so that people can fill their own glasses.  No need to be constantly opening bottles or wandering about bottle in hand, refilling glasses.  Disposal afterward is easy: open the box, pull the bag out, recycle the bag with your plastics and the box with your cardboard.  Picnics, tailgates, and backyard parties spring to mind as other possibilities.

Naturally, there are small problems with this.  For the most part, that four week figure is accurate.  The wine stays fresh because air does not get in to oxidize the wine.  As long as the bag is mostly full, the weight and liquid of the wine will fill the tap when it is open and prevent almost all air from entering that way.  But once you are down near the end of the box, it is possible that air will get in through the tap.  This happens because the level of the wine does not completely cover the opening of the tap on the inside, which will usually mean you are at the last glass or so.  If you hear gurgling from the box as you fill your glass, or have to tilt the box to get the last remnants to pour out, you have reached this point and it is time to finish this wine.

Another point to be aware of is that the plastic bag is more porous to gases than a bottle is.  Gradually, molecules of oxygen will migrate through the bag into the wine, and the oxidizing process that saps the wine will begin.  Producers claim that the wine will retain freshness for nine months after being sealed in the bag and then begin to slowly decline.  Until that problem is solved, no one will be putting age-worthy wine into boxes, and you should not be buying boxed wine for some far-off use.  This is wine that should be purchased shortly before you will be opening it -- and remember to check the packaging date before you go to the register. 

Starting around 2002, better quality boxed wine began appearing on American shelves.  Black Box in California was founded by Ryan Sproule after a trip to Europe to bring a higher quality experience to the American consumer at a low price, and is now seen in many stores.  Others include the Australian Tindindi and Teft Cellars of Washington state.

But what about ... well, appearance and prestige.  Many people will turn up their noses or snicker at boxed wines, you say.  That might be true, but it is less true today than it was in the past.  More than half the wine sold in Australia, Sweden and other countries is now sold in boxes.  The trend in America is behind that, but growing rapidly.  Some wine bars on the West Coast serve from them now, at least in part.  Tell your friends you are just ahead of the curve -- or better yet, fill their glass out of their sight, and wait to see if they notice anything different.