Box Wine
I actually have yet to drink wine from a box, though this article has convinced me to head out and try some the next time I need to refill on plonk, or even a finer wine. I hadn’t given it much thought, but boxed wine can last much longer than bottled wine after it’s been opened due to the packaging. Since the wine is actually in a bag inside the box, no air enters as the wine flows out, thus preventing oxidation. As a result, I could stop forcing myself to drink the whole bottle and just enjoy a single glass without worry about waste.
Doing a little research, i.e. typing “boxed wine” into Google, I found this great Wikipedia article about boxed wine’s advantages:
While cask wine is often of a cheaper variety, the packaging method itself is arguably superior to other methods. The chief advantage to bag-in-a-box packaging for wine is that it prevents oxidation of the wine as it is dispensed. Whereas wine in a bottle is oxidized by the volume of air in the bottle which has displaced the wine already poured, wine in a bag is never touched by air and thus never subject to oxidation until it is put in a glass. Thus, bag in a box packaging is not inferior per se, but is simply preferred by producers of more economical wines such as Franzia because it is inexpensive.
Box wine is not subject to cork taint or spoilage due to not drinking them quickly enough after opening. A bag of wine, once removed from the box, will float on water. This property allows quick cooling of a white wine by immersing it in an ice bath. Other advantages of boxing wine include greater efficiency of storage and transportation of rectangular boxes, and elimination of the risk of breakage incurred by transporting wine in bottles.
Dispensers are available, typically moulded in plastic and incorporating a stand and drip tray. The bag or sack is removed from its cardboard box and placed inside the dispenser, thus hiding the origins (brand) of the wine.
Perhaps for the reasons above, higher quality wines are now being offered in boxes, often in smaller sizes (2 and 3 litre). These premium wines are, naturally, more expensive.
September 22nd, 2006 at 6:37 pm
Hi Mike,
I am the author of that boxed wine article you featured on Days That End In Y today.
I’ve had your blog entries highlighted on my personal Google homepage for quite some time and have enjoyed your postings. Imagine the fun surprise I got today when I realized you were saying nice things about “Wine: To Box Or Not To Box.”
Thanks for the Friday fun!
Cheers,
Lisa
September 23rd, 2006 at 12:21 am
Super wine guru Andrea Immer is the Sommelier for Target. She’s gotten some of their boxed wines to become pretty popular, all are very drinkable, though I wouldn’t expect to have to worry much about some might meal pairing, they’re definitely good for a group.
October 1st, 2006 at 1:49 pm
It’s true; boxed wine labels claim anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks of staying power after opening. I think it’s great, my second favorite thing about boxes, right after beach BBQs without corkscrews. Those “soft-sided” packages though (Tetrapaks) don’t offer the same advantage of long-keeping, because there is no bag inside.
Rick is right about Target; the Target Wine Cube has presented some nice wines. They are vintage dated, and there has been variability in how the vintages and varieties have been received. Carol Emerts reviews in the San Francisco Chronicle (12/4/2003 & 12/30/2004) point out these differences, as do also the reviews of the Box Wine Guy at http://www.boxwines.org.
So if you try one that you don’t care for, try another!
Fly by Night
http://boxedwinespot.blogspot.com
December 6th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
We’re seeing a greater variety of higher quality wines and unusual varietals coming in boxes, which is good news for those who like box convenience but want a better wine than the usually awful low-end 5-liter boxes. I just posted about a new line, Free Range Wines, that offers seven varietals in three liter boxes including Muscadet, Red and White Bordeaux, as well as the more common Merlot, Pinot Noir, etc. Definitely not your father’s wine box! I haven’t tasted them yet, but I think they are a harbinger of good things to come. Nice blog!
December 6th, 2006 at 4:35 pm
That does look promising! I’ll have to see if Free Range is available at a nearby liquor store. It seems likely given their distributor. This just might be the first box wine I buy.