Box Wine: Still a Long Way to Go

No doubt you’ve heard the same claims I have:  Box wine has come a long way since the horrible “Chablis” that Mom used to keep on the counter and pour over ice. 

Box wine got its start in Australia in the mid-1960s when Tom Angove invented the rather clever packaging.  A polyethylene bag with a plastic tap is placed inside a box for support.  The typical box holds the equivalent of four bottles of wine, though some hold up to 50 percent more than that.  Despite the large volume, the box wine package is considerably lighter than glass bottles.  One big advantage of this type of packaging is that the design of the bag and tap ensure that no oxygen gets into the bag after it is opened, which means that the wine lasts 4-6 weeks after opening – much longer than the typical bottle.

Box wine first became popular in the United States in the 1980s.  Though it was never synonymous with high quality, it is cheap and easy to store.  And say those who like it, it’s consistent.  You always know what to expect when you open the box. 

I have always resisted drinking box wine for two primary reasons: