Thinking INSIDE The Box!

Box wines have gotten a bad rap mainly because of wines like Franzia that are, well, they just aren't that great.  I do have to admit though, I HAVE bought Franzia, usually the white zinfandel.  I would buy it for my daughter's birthday party when we lived in CT.  Several family members like white zinfandel so, it made sense.  And I'll admit, I would have a sip or 2.  It's not AWFUL but it's not something I would want to drink on a regular basis.

Over the last couple of years, a few higher end box wines have emerged.  Box wines are a bit more acceptable in Europe mainly because of the eco-friendliness of it and people in the U.S. began to wonder "Why not here?" 

I'll admit, the first time I tried one of these box wines, I was apprehensive.  And hubby looked at me like I was out of my mind.  But, budget friendly drinker that I am, I thought it was a great value.  I tend to drink more white wine during the summer so I thought it was a good way to cut some of the cost.  I was living in CT at the time but bought the box at a liquor store in MA where we bought most of our stuff. I think it was around $15 for the 3L box which is equivalent to 4 bottles of wine. Not too shabby!  The brand was Fish Eye and I had tried several of their bottles wines.  I bought the pinot grigio and was pleasantly surprised. 

With that purchase under my belt, I decided to try a different brand....Black Box.  I bought the sauvignon blanc.  Depending on where you get it, the price can be anywhere from $16 to $18.  Again, I was pleasantly surprised.  If you've read here before, you know sauvignon blanc is my FAVORITE variety so to find it in a box and have it taste good was a huge bonus.  Since then I have also tried the chardonnay and the pinot grigio, both of which were very good.

On my next trip to one of the bigger liquor warehouses, also in MA, I saw third brand called Bota Box.  I usually find there for around $18, sometimes a little less.  Now, this one really impressed me.  I've blogged about eco-friendly wines before and this one is exceptionally eco-friendly.  The boxes are made from 100% post-consumer fiber with soy inks and a BPA-free plastic bag.  Sadly, they don't make a sauvignon blanc but they may a darn good pinot grigio which is my runner up.  Their chardonnay is good too.  I've heard good things about their Old Vine Zinfandel so I need to try that too.

A friend has sung the praises of the Target wine cubes.  I haven't tried them yet but they are on my list.  With the weather warming up here, I think box wines will be my go to's from now on.  Even hubby is starting to come around.  He asked last week if they make red wines in boxes.  I told they did indeed and they keep for up to 6 weeks.  He prefers red wine so he may be coming around to the box side of things too.

So, forget the stigma of box wines and give some of these a try.  With summer coming, they're great to bring to a picnic or barbecue and chances are, you'll get other people hooked too.