This is a tough question. Typically these boxes contain 3 liters of wine which equals 4 regular bottles. You usually pay about the price you would for 3 or less bottles, so it is like getting a bottle free. The boxes come with a handy little spout, which make them ideal for parties. Probably, the best feature is that the wine inside the box is in an air tight plastic bag so any leftovers stay as fresh as they started. However, it the wine any good? After all wine in boxes has always been a source of ridicule among “serious” wine lovers.
Well, they are not entirely wrong. There is lot of very bad wine in these handy containers. Sometimes it isn’t even 100% wine, but has been blended with other “natural flavors” – whatever that means. The Wine Witch usually tries to keep a positive tone in this blog, but you should really stay away from Franzia, Almaden, and Vella – some very funky flavors going on. You have your reputation to think of before serving these wines.
Okay, so you are planning a Saturday bash and you need a large quantity of wine on the cheap – what do you do? The two brands that I would recommend are Branrock Station and Fish Eye. They cover the major varietals and cost less than $20. There is another more “premium” brand called Black Box for around $25, but quite frankly I do not think it is necessarily worth the difference. However, the box looks classier on your bar.
You need to keep in mind we are not talking Chateau Lafite here. This is fairly basic stuff and you should stick to the traditionally more fruit forward varietals. That means go with Sauvignon Blanc rather than Chardonnay and Merlot or Shiraz instead of Cabernet Sauvignon. There is always White Zinfandel. The Wine Witch is not a fan, but if you like it this is the value way to go.
So bottom line, there is a time and a place for wine in cardboard boxes. You will not have a memorable wine experience, but if you pick carefully you will get some bang for your wine buck.1
Cheers!
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I don’t care how good any wine in a box tastes. It’s just too embarrassing to lpurchase let alone drink or serve to others.