Wine in Box – Is it For You?

A couple of weeks ago I received samples of two different boxed wines. I have tasted several different wines in box at trade tastings and have never really been impressed with any of them. Boxed wine is definitely on the rise, just check the shelves at BevMo or your local supermarket, there is a whole section devoted to these wines. There are some definite advantages to these packaged wines and, in many situations, it is a better alternative than having traditional bottled wine.

From the Octavin Home Wine Bar Company I received a sample of one white wine, the Rudolf Müller ‘Rabbit’ Riesling from grapes grown in the Landwein Rhein region of Germany, and a red wine called Seven from Spain. The Seven is a blend of seven different grapes from various vineyards in Spain. These two wines are packaged beautifully in an octagon shaped box with attractive labeling.

I brought the wines to our Vintage Wine Tasters meeting and we sampled the wines following our blind Shiraz tasting. Just about all of us agreed that both wines were pleasant and very drinkable, especially with food. We are not giving these wines our full-blown recommendations; we just think these wines are a good choice for a particular wine drinker and/or a particular party situation. The big advantage to these wines is that they can last up to six weeks after being opened. The wine inside the box is in a special plastic bag that collapses as the wine is consumed, and therefore no oxygen is present to spoil the wine.

For the person who consumes a glass of wine an evening this is a prefect fit. Once you open the wine you can stand it up on your bar or in your refrigerator, turn the spigot and off you go. These Octavin wine boxes contain 3 liters of wine, the equivalent of 4 regular-sized wine bottles. The cost is $22 for each box, so less than $6 for a 750 ml bottle of wine. For the single-glass wine drinker, it solves the problem of opening a bottle of wine and having to toss it as it goes bad about the 3rd or 4th day. The wine is also ideal for an outdoor party, especially around areas such as a swimming pool where glass is not practical or allowed. Everyone can help himself or herself and be very merry with a pleasant glass of wine.

Now neither one of these wines is going to win any major wine ribbons or garner any high point ratings. They are decent enough in the right situation. Major league wine drinkers are probably are not going to find these wines to their satisfaction.