What is Box Wine?
“Box wine” sound like an impossibility – wine belongs in glass, not in cardboard, right? Actually, today’s box wines may have a cardboard exterior, but the wine is held in a leakproof and airtight plastic bag, normally made of Mylar or similar impermeable material. A spigot (like a little faucet) is built into the bag, and can extend through the exterior box to allow easy pouring.
The wine box was an Aussie invention, having been originally patented in 1965 by Tom Angove of Angove’s, a winemaker from Renmark, South Australia.
Advantages of Wine Boxes
From the standpoint of wine flavor and freshness, wine boxes have several advantages over traditional glass wine bottles. First, there is no possibility of a wine becoming “corked”, i. e., spoiled by a deteriorated cork. While synthetic corks and screw caps allow bottles to be used without fear of flavor problems from natural corks, most wine bottles still use the natural kind. Second, wine boxes keep air away from the wine, even after partial consumption. A traditional bottle that is half-used is half-full of air, which contains potentially damaging oxygen. If a bottle is consumed in one sitting, the air poses no problem at all. However, if a portion of the wine is retained for one or more days after opening, the flavor can deteriorate.
Is Box Wine Cheap Wine?
There’s little doubt that box wine has an image as cheap wine, largely because boxes were popularized by inexpensive brands like Franzia. To some degree, wine buyers tend to think that natural corks mean better wine, while boxes and (shudder) screw caps represent the epitome of low class. In fact, there’s nothing inherently cheap about the latter two packaging methods, and both avoid damage from spoiled corks. Tradition, however, dies hard. Still, today we are seeing better quality wines packaged in boxes. Consumer demand is increasing, too. While in years past boxes may have been purchased by consumers more interested in quantity than quality, today “low volume” wine consumers also appreciate the convenience of boxes. “Glass a day” wine drinkers can indulge their habit without worrying about the wine oxidizing in the half-empty bottle.
We expect box wine to become even more popular in the future, with even high quality wines represented.
Are you planning to do an article on Target’s impressive box offering?
Absolutely, PB. Any recommendations or comments?
We’ve just launched a new premium 3L BIB wine called FreeRange. It’s available throughout New England now and we expect to be available up and down the East Coast by early next year. We are offering some outstanding vintage dated wines at a price that equates to $7.50/bottle: White Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Muscadet, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Red Bordeaux. The initial reaction has been very favorable — these are very good wines at a reasonable price that are available in the innovative 3L bag-in-box format. Please give us a look at http://www.freerangewines.com.
Cheers!
Tom
Sounds really intriguing, Tom. Good luck with your new offerings!
I for one am happy to see box wine make a quality return to the scene. Entertaining? Check out Amazon.com’s new wine box stand for the 3 liter cubes such as Black Box and Washington Hills…
http://www.amazon.com/Pinzon-10950-Wine-Box-Stand/dp/B001FB6ZVQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1226180368&sr=8-1
I am posting to see if there is an interest in custom cabinets for holding boxed wine bladders. I make models for both countertop and freestanding, that will hold any boxed wine bladder, and are furniture quality pieces. If interested, I have pictures.
Damon
I am working with a small winery in California and are interested in offering our wine in bladders to bars and food establishments. We are looking for a container for the bladders in the 5 and 10 liter sizes other than the wine barrel package being used by other wine producers. Would be interested to see what you might have that would work for us.
Thanks,
Harry Preston
In relation to wine in bag in box we have introduced a new product at the marked.
Welcome to BiB-Fix
BiB-Fix is an exciting new Danish invention with great design and functionality.
BiB-Fix is a u-shaped grip, which is used for stabilizing the tap when pouring wine from a Bag-in-Box.
On our website you can read about the background of BiB-Fix, usage, dealers as well as learn more about the ways that BiB-Fix can be your company’s next gift item.
I just opened a box of red wine and won’t be able to use it for a month. Will it last longer than that if I put it in the refrigerator? Thanks!
Nancy, I haven’t seen data on this but I expect that refrigeration would extend the shelf life of the opened box. Even unrefrigerated, boxed wine may be OK for longer periods. Be sure to avoid sucking air into the bag inside the box. Sometimes, when a box gets closer to the bottom, you’ll hear a gurgling sound as you pour a glass. That’s air entering the bag, and will speed up oxidation. Tipping the box forward will prevent that until the very end. When you get really low, you can also remove the bag from the box and hold it so that the spout remains completely covered by the remaining wine.
Thanks, we have only had one glass out of it, so I think I’ll put it in the fridge and see what happens by Feb. 1! Then I’ll let it get back to room temperature. Thanks again for your reply.