When's the last time you rolled up to a dinner party with a tray of hummus and a box of wine? The answer is probably never. (Well, except for maybe the hummus. Can we talk about why you're still buying that?)
But that's all about to change. "The perception that wine is bad because it comes in a box just isn't true anymore," says Meg McNeill, the wine buyer at Brooklyn's Dandelion Wine. Meg and her staff have been excited about boxed wines for years, and have grown the store's roster of boxed vino to over a dozen selections. Why? Because once McNeill sells a customer on boxed wine, the customer gets hooked. Here's what she tells them.
Boxed Wine is Insanely Cheap
Like $8-a-bottle cheap. Prices vary, of course, but most boxes retail in the $30 range for 3L of wine—the equivalent of 4 regular-sized bottles. How can non-swill wine be available for prices like that? "The combined savings that we’re getting on shipping and the producers are getting for not having to package things in bottles are being passed onto you," explains McNeill.
Boxed wine lasts longer
We've all opened a bottle of wine for a quick glass, only to come back to the bottle a week later and find it ruined. That will never happen with the boxed stuff. "Wine's biggest enemies are light and air," says McNeill. " Both of those things are negated by the box—no cork, no light pollution." So go ahead and crack open that box even when you just want one glass—the wine will last for about a month.
Boxed Wine is Great for the Environment
It's true! All of those shipping and packaging savings you're getting also reduce carbon emissions. "Take a case of bottled wine that gets shipped to us," says McNeill. "Not only is everything made of glass, but there’s the cardboard box the wine comes in, and all of the paper dividers and filler material to keep the glass from breaking." All that packaging adds up to heavy loads for trucks to carry, which is why bottles have twice as big a carbon footprint as boxes.
Boxed wine can be organic and natural
By now you've no doubt realized that boxed wine has moved beyond the mass-produced Franzia in your grandmother's refrigerator. So, who, exactly, is making all of this cheap, delicious wine? The same producers that make wine in bottles. In fact, "in some cases, the exact same wines are available in bottles," says McNeill. This means you can even find trendy organic and natural wines in boxes. And things are only getting better—the uptick in popularity has caused many wine distributors to approach new wine makers to request that they start putting wines in boxes.
4 Bottles—er, Boxes—to Try
McNeill loves these boxed options, all of which are available at Dandelion Wine's Greenpoint Brooklyn shop.
Fuenteseca Tempranillo 2013 - $25 "It’s a little spicy, a fuller bodied wine. It’s aged in oak barrels and has a dark, rich berry fruit." Buy it here.
Maison Cubi Sauvignon Blanc 2014 - $30 "They’re a sustainable producer who has started focusing on boxed wine. They’ve sought out producers and growers from around France to find the best quality and value possible. A small company run by two french men who are buddies. Super bright, clean, vibrant, and fresh." Buy it here.
Domaine de la Patience "From the Tank" Rosé 2014 - $38 "This is my favorite of the rosé boxed wine options. From an organic producer. It just has a lot of character and is really pretty exceptional at the price. I was a bar in Brooklyn where they pour it by the glass for $11 and no one thinks twice." Buy it here.
Domaine de Gabelas Saint Chinian 2013 - $42 "It’s totally delicious. This is an all-natural, unfiltered wine. It’s wonderful. It’s a little funky and earthy, fresh red fruit." Buy it here.
