"box wine" news and stories

Wines in a box have a bad rap. But is it deserved?

We recently sampled a batch of boxed wines, a mix of reds and whites, some from California producers and others from abroad. Each three-liter box holds the equivalent of four bottles of wine. One plus is that the wine boxes last much longer (three to six weeks) than if they were packaged in bottles -- perfect during the month of December, when your home might transform into mayhem and you find yourself suddenly entertaining. Dinner parties, gift-opening with friends and family, chatting with long-lost friends from college, a glass of wine after braving the shopping mall, you name it. Boxed wines are your friend.

They also have a green bent: because they are packaged in paperboard -- and not heavy glass bottles -- it requires fewer fossil fuels to ship them to retailers.

High End: Dinner Party or Special Wines

2009 Bota Box Malbec, Lodi, California ($20)
This wine shattered the myth that a good Malbec has to come from Mendoza, Argentina. If you're serving braised or grilled meats, or any food with a spicy kick, this is a fantastic pairing. Concentrated blackberry, plum and baked-blueberry flavors move effortlessly into soft, luscious tannins. The wine lingers on your palate long after.

More wines after the jump.

I posted recently about FOUR wine, a premium wine-in-a-tube from California that boasts eco-friendliness and value. If you follow the trends, you know just how important these two factors are right now for any business. I finally got a chance to try the wine so wanted to do a follow-up post on it, since so many people are still skeptical of boxed wine.

FOUR wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Monterey, Paso Robles and Lodi, and I have to admit, the packaging is pretty snazzy. It's something I'd put out at a party for sure, because it's pretty and unusual enough to get questions, and it goes down easy, a full-bodied, deeply fruity wine with dark cherries, stewed plums and lots of sweet vanilla spice. I also think it would be fun to grab a tube of FOUR and take it into a BYOB restaurant, if nothing else than for the look on our server's face as we plunk down a tube of wine with a spigot to go with our dinner.

Retail price is $40 a tube (the equivalent of 4 bottles) and the company says it's worth $100. What's worth $100 to me? Knowing the tube and its contents are 100 percent recyclable, and that the inexpensiveness of the wine is due to a lower production cost and carbon footprint.

A perennial problem with wine is reading about something yummy and not knowing where to buy it, but FOUR has a list of distributors on its Web site. Call the one in your state and they'll let you know where it's sold.

A few weeks ago I listed my 2009 wine predictions, including one under "wishful thinking" about box wine, PET bottles, and lighter, alternative forms of packaging becoming mainstream. Now it seems we're one step closer: a California wine company is bottling (or would that be "bagging") a Cabernet Sauvignon in a cardboard tube.

According to the company, Four Wine reduces carbon footprint by 50 percent and reduces landfill waste by 85 percent compared with traditional glass packaging. The packaging is 100 percent recyclable.

As far as I can tell, this wine is boxed wine of a different shape, an attempt at marketing to people who want to be green but don't want the stigma of serving from a box. It has a bag and spigot, but the packaging is a bit more upscale than your generic box brand. And hey, if wine snobs latch on, who cares if the cardboard packaging is a rolled tube or a rectangular box?

I haven't tried the wine, but it's supposed to be a premium brand with lower prices since you're not paying as much for shipping. A 3-liter tube (the equivalent of four bottles) retails at $39. Tried it? What do you think?

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'Tis the season for holiday parties! I'm bringing the food and beverages to a cookie exchange this week, and I've decided to make some mulled wine for the occasion. Wine people tell you when you're cooking with wine or using it as a base for other drinks, you still want something drinkable, and I absolutely agree with that. But I wouldn't waste a $20 bottle in a heated, spiked drink or on a big crowd of party-goers. Instead, I turn to box wine as the ideal party wine. Why?

• Box wine is inexpensive (around $20 for the equivalent of four bottles), and the quality has gotten much, much better over the years.
• Boxes are lightweight, easier to transport, and greener than glass bottles, so when you're serving in quantity, those numbers add up.
• Box wines stay fresh for a month after opening because of the vacuum seal, unlike bottles, which should be refrigerated and drunk within 3 days if possible.

Now, let's be clear that boxed wine will not blow away the connoisseurs in your group, but it's a great budget-friendly choice for parties. If you're serving it as is, decant it for a classier look. When your guests ask what it is, be mysterious: "Oh, just a little something I picked up the other day when I took the private jet out to California for an afternoon meeting."

Here are a few decent box wines to try:

Bota Box Pinot Grigio or Shiraz ($16)
Black Box Merlot or Shiraz ($22)
Banrock Station Chardonnay or Shiraz ($19)

My mulled wine recipe is after the jump.