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In a recent tasting of boxed white wines, several surprised us by sailing above and beyond our expectations -- there are actually a few true gems packaged in Tyvek or paperboard. Taste aside, boxed wines have many advantages over glass bottles of vino: they're lighter in weight, making them easier to tote along on a camping trip or to a party, and the eco-friendly packaging uses less fossil fuel than shipping glass bottles.
But the best part is that boxed wines cost less than bottles. Inside each box is the equivalent of two or three bottles of wine, so for $15 to $20, you're actually getting a lot more wine for the same price as one mid-range bottle.
Find out which box wines are a good value, and which would we be willing to pour at a party after the jump.
Best Boxed White Wines
Runner-up: 2008 Bandit Pinot Grigio, California
Crushed-rose petals are on the nose, and a nice acidity throughout does not overpower the palate. Lemon notes emerge on finish.
Runner-up: 2009 Target Wine Cube Riesling, California
Floral nose, honeyed tropical fruit and a lingering finish make this a fantastic Riesling.
Best White: 2008 Black Box Wines Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand, East Coast
More mineralities than the typical New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, but still crisp with a grassy palate and packed with gooseberry and tropical-fruit notes. There's a bright, aromatic nose too.
We Wouldn't Serve It: Inglebrook Vineyards & Winery Chablis, Argentina
First of all, since when does Argentina produce good Chablis? A musty, smoky nose precedes floral notes mixed with lemon and mineralities and stone fruit but falls flat on finish. Not what you would expect from a 125-year-old wine producer.
We Wouldn't Serve It: 2008 Falling Star Chardonnay, Argentina
Buttery-style Chadonnay, but falls flat and not a proper expression of Chardonnay due to having no complexity ... just cheap white wine.
We Wouldn't Serve It: St. Gabriel Riesling Mosel, Germany
God-awful nose (like a damp, musty basement) precedes a honeyed, sweetened palate that never transitions into anything more. No complexity and a sour aftertaste.
We Wouldn't Serve It: 2009 Bota Box Pinot Grigio, California
A passable Pinot Grigio - but not as good as the Bandit Pinot Grigio - despite a flatness emerging mid-palate. The nose is wonderfully grassy with lemon-lime flavors.
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5-17-2010 @4:04PM John said... incredulous
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5-19-2010 @10:01AM k said... My box of BLACK BOX wine was totally spoiled. Maybe they should concentrate about getting their wine to the customer in a drinkable state.
5-19-2010 @10:36AM Jon said... That's one thing I noticed after drinking alot of boxed wines, lol. Quality isn't consistent across the board. Flaw in the design? Do the retailer's keep them on the shelve longer? Who knows...
5-17-2010 @8:14PM numbvox said... This isn't really news. Anyone who is into the wine world knows that technically speaking, boxes and screw-top-lid bottles are better for many wines than traditional corked bottles as they provide a better seal and don't present any potential off flavors from the cork. The days of assuming that just a wine is "cheap" without a real cork are frankly, long gone.
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5-23-2010 @2:20PM Jason M said... Indeed, I welcome new wine-preservation technology. It's hard for some people to accept, since cork and wine bottles go together like peanut butter and jelly. But whatever keeps that wine smelling and tasting as the winemaker INTENDED is good in my book. I especially like wines with the synthetic "corks." They seal well like a screwcap, yet retain the ceremonious nature of "uncorking" a bottle.
That's the only slight knock I have against scewcaps, but I fully recognize it as a frivolous one :). Let's just say I certainly wouldn't reject a wine because it had a screwcap, nowadays.
5-18-2010 @9:46AM Jon said... Nice to see Black Box win, they do have nice box wines.
Looking forward to see the red list!
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5-19-2010 @2:23PM Sunshine said... I have always been a wine "snob". Then a friend convinced me to try the box wines. I was leary at first and after reading label after label, I decided on the Black Box and I must say I was quite surprised. The chardonnay had just the right amount of oak for my taste. I've been drinking the Black Box Chardonnay for a year now and have only purchased one box that I felt was "spoiled". When I compared the box with the one I had just finished, the spoiled one was from 2005, and the "good" one was a 2008. Now I always make sure I am getting a 2008 or younger. To me you can't go wrong with the Black Box.
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5-20-2010 @4:13PM Dave said... Is there any boxed wines that come close to Schmitt Sohne Riesling?
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5-22-2010 @5:31PM chic said... please let me know the anser to this for this is by far my favorite wine
5-20-2010 @4:24PM saundra said... I have tried various box wines, they all have the same effect, after two glasses, I get a horrible headach, but I found a great wine that does not give a headache or hangover, I is made in such a way that you would want no other kind.
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5-20-2010 @5:01PM thejper said... I have drank white wine from a box for years....I personally have helped destroy the myth that drinking wine from a box is not what an important person should do.... bull, I have traveled the world and have tasted the finest beers and wines the world over......to have a nice white wine at home, ready at a finger tip, with out a doubt is the Chardonnay from Almaden, it is the finest by far...
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5-20-2010 @5:44PM JPBill said... I read the reviews and didn't see Almaden Chardonnay (our favorite) until your comment, thejper. I will say that their batches, which are dated on the box, can vary somewhat but we've only had one batch that we felt wasn't up to snuff. A real bargain in Denver ........ $11.99/5 liters on sale. Like $1.80/bottle ......... less than "Two Buck Chuck" and WAY better!
5-20-2010 @5:52PM thejper said... JpBill ..... Almaden wasn't mentioned in the article which was a surprise to me, but their box was pictured....$11.99 is a steal; here in VA it used to be $12.50 which was a good deal, but at wine stores it's been raised to $15.50 which is still OK since the grocery stores sell it for $19.99..... so I buy it 4 boxes at a time....
5-23-2010 @5:27PM Barbara Tubbs said... I really like the Almadden Mountain Chablis...I have tried others, but find this one the best!
5-24-2010 @12:08AM Oliveme said... One of the reasons that glass is used is because of its incredible stability. Do box wine containers need seals such as Bisphenol A? Is the wine packaged like milk in a carton? Or is it more like juice boxes where the juice is contained in a plastic bladder (bag)? Besides being light and requiring less fuel to transport, are the box containers actually eco friendly?
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5-23-2010 @8:48AM John F.C. Taylor said... What's the attraction to drinking an alcoholic beverage? I've given everything a try over the years and just never saw any plus side to even casual consumption of anything - beer, wine or the hard stuff.
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