I’m trying hard not to react to wine in a box like it’s a can of Spam.  Packaging wine differently is part of the green movement as well as the frugal movement.  Wine in a box is eco-friendly, and has a much longer shelf life.  It also has a much longer life after opening than bottles with corks.  My local wine-store owner told me that an “open” box will last up to four weeks.  That’s a good thing because a three-liter box is equal to 4 bottles. Some manufacturers are making one-liter boxes.

The boxes are well designed.  The wine is in a bag inside the box. As wine is poured out, the bag collapses, which keeps oxygen away from the wine.  Contact with air is what spoils wine.  This explains why wine in boxes stays ‘drinkable’ so long after it is opened.

I spoke with Michael St. Laurent, a representative for Nappi Wine Distributors.  He explained that it takes the public a while to embrace new designs in packaging.  For example, screw tops for wine bottles (officially known as Stelvin closures) took some adjustment.  There is something romantic about the glass bottle.  Opening wine is an elegant tradition at nice restaurants, and screw tops just don’t fit the image.  Now, however, some of the world’s best wine is bottled using Stelvin closures. Adjusting to wine in a box may take some time.

I tried Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon.  A three-liter box was $23.00 and as I said, is equal to 4 bottles.  It was quite good.  It would make a great “house” wine.  It’s not a sock knocker-offer.  My wine informant thinks Black Box makes the best of all the boxed wine.Wine in a Black Box

Another new wine container is the Tetra Pak.  It is a cardboard ‘bottle’ lined with metal.  It is biodegradable, so it is the most environmentally responsible of all wine packaging.  The best labels using Tetra Pak are Yellow and Blue from Argentina, and Lizard Flat from Australia.  These wines are under $10 a ‘pak’ and received a 90 pt. score from Wine Spectator.

The Tetra Pak contains 1 liter of wine, which is 1 1/3 bottle of wine.  It is priced the same or lower than the equivalent bottle of wine, so you’re getting an additional 1/3 a bottle for that price.Boxed wines

I am a convert, and highly recommend trying some different labels.

Go to Wine Searcher to find a local store or order one of these wines.

Updated July 2016, Nancy reviews the newest portable wines.