Sip, Sip Hooray, Three Cheers To Boxed Wine

Wine snobs everywhere would like you to believe it’s impossible to get a delicious and classy wine out of a box. Alright, so maybe pouring your wine from the built-in tap on a cardboard box does inherently feel a little less classy than popping the cork on a fresh bottle of wine, but there are also a lot of benefits to buying in a box.

First, I think we can all agree that the best wines are the ones we share with friends. Boxes of wine hold significantly more than a standard wine bottle, so there will always be enough to share. In fact, a typical box of wine holds three liters, which is about four bottles. Not only will you have enough to share, your clean-up will be significantly easier. Recycling a cardboard box or two is much easier than lugging a garbage bag of glass to the curb. Not to mention storage space, no need to worry about chilling the next bottle when you’ve got four in the fridge at once (while taking up only a little more space than your gallon of milk).

Boxed wine is also a much more cost-effective way to drink. It’s like the Sam’s Club equivalent of the drinking world. You might not be excited to go there, but the money it saves you is worth it. Buying in bulk is always a little bit cheaper, but that’s not the only thing that saves you cash with boxed wine. The bag-in-box packaging is significantly cheaper to produce, as well as being drastically cheaper to ship. So, you can get more wine for less money, while also cutting back on clean up (one box vs. four bottles).

You may feel skeptical about storing wine in a bag, but the bags inside the box are vacuum sealed to ensure freshness. In fact, boxed wine actually maintains its freshness for much longer than a bottle. Once you pop the cork on a bottle of wine, you better be prepared to finish it within a couple days. Much longer than that and you compromise flavor. Boxed wine, on the other hand, will stay delicious from the first glass to the last, at least for about 4-6 weeks.

Whether you just want half a glass to de-stress after a long day at work or want to fill up a fishbowl, boxed wine is a cheap, convenient, and delicious option. Still feel skeptical? Check out these five boxed wines that will change your mind, and have you slapping the bag in no time.

Bota Box Chardonnay

When you first pour yourself a glass of this Chardonnay, you might find yourself surprised by the bright citrus, ripe melon and toasty oak aromas that greet you. This flavorful wine is packed to the box-top with vibrant lemon, apple and graham cracker flavors. It’s a medium-bodied wine with a balanced and juicy finish that will leave you wondering why you didn’t try boxed wine sooner.

Bota Box Chardonnay is the perfect wine to sip during your dinner preparations and pairs delightfully with a variety of dinner options, from pasta and salads to fish and chips. This boxed Chardonnay is smooth and fruity, making it the perfect choice for novice wine drinkers and seasoned vets alike.

The Wine Enthusiast even lists Bota Box Chardonnay as one of their ‘best buy’ options. Fortunately for you, you can have Bota Box Chardonnay delivered to your door starting at just $30.99. That’s less than $8 per bottle, considering each box is equivalent to four bottles.

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Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon

Another Wine Enthusiast ‘best buy’ award winner, Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon is sure to satisfy your everyday Cabernet needs. This wine is as full bodied as a plus-sized model, and its flavors definitely won’t disappoint. Pour yourself a glass, tumbler, or mug (we don’t judge), and you’ll be treated to the enticing aromas of black currant, toasty oak, and a hint of vanilla. Perfectly balanced with ripe blackberries and chocolate, this wine has a soft, lingering finish.

Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon works well as an accompaniment for your weekend dinners (or dessert). Its flavors particularly shine when paired with a hearty steak or braized ribs. But don’t worry vegetarians, this wine would also go well with a mushroom pizza or summer salad. The chocolate and vanilla undertones of this Cabernet is the perfect palate cleanser before you move on to dessert. Even if dessert is more wine.

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House Wine Original Red

If you’re still on the fence about boxed wine, then give House Wine Original Red a shot. This boxed wine will definitely make you a believer. According to reviews, if you didn’t see it poured yourself, you wouldn’t even believe it came from a box.

This House Red is a delicious 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with 13% alcohol by volume. Made with red currants from Valle Central Chile, this wine is as full of flavor as the little red fruit itself. House Wine Original Red delivers delicious smoky flavors with sweet undertones, like if you baked a fruit pie in a wood stove.

House Wine Original Red hits the middle of your palate and leaves you with a lengthy, velvety finish. Perfect for savoring, but fortunately for you and your three liters of wine, you don’t have to.

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House Wine Malbec

House Wine has such excellent reviews, we decided to include another one of their boxed wine choices here as well. Their Malbec is loaded with amazing flavors and aroma overload. From the first swirl of your glass, you’ll be transported to the vineyards of Chile. The bold blackberry, oak, and spice aroma combined with the luscious flavors of black plums and peppered clovers created an amazing alcoholic love child you’ll want to adopt.

Malbec is the perfect wine for a house-warming party, game night, or even Friends-giving this Fall. It pairs well with lean cuts of dark meat or dark cuts of chicken and pork. Perfect for any classic dinner event, this wine goes especially well with turkey and cranberry sauce. It also pairs well with a cheese-board, making it the perfect choice for any appetizer based event. Plus, with the convenience of four bottles in one perfectly refrigerator shelf-sized box, you won’t have to worry about running out of fridge space.

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Naked Grape Pinot Noir

Naked Grape Pinot Noir is one you don’t want to miss out on. It’s a light to medium bodied wine, cram-packed with cherry and raspberry aromas. Unlike your ex, this wine isn’t complicated. It’s straightforward, and has great mass appeal. The flavors are full and smooth, yet with enough bite and acidity to pair with just about anything.

No matter which of these tasty boxed wines you go with, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll always have a pair of sweatpants and near-bottomless tap of fresh wine waiting for you after a long day at work, a weekend with the in-laws, or literally any other excuse you come up with. As Tina Fey says, “Say yes to love, yes to life, yes to staying in more!”

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