[...] WineLog On the WineLog front, our potential features list is growing faster than we can knock stuff out. There is a lot of work to be done there. Still, there is time to drink a bit of box wine. I had some Hardy’s 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, and it wasn’t bad. [...]

Box wine might be good for practical reasons but fine wines are to be kept in the bottle if you ask me. Boxes might be good table wine and everyday wine for pizza, but with so many quality wines from around the globe that are priced low enough who would want to have box wine?

I like the chilled glass idea. I’ve been keeping the boxes in a small fridge kept barely cold. I’ll decant about a half bottle of red about 15 to 20 minutes before dinner, and that seems to work well.

wine blog: I’m interested to hear what you feel a bottle adds to the wine other than the perception that “this wine is important enough to store in glass”. Also, can’t we drink good wine with pizza too?

I don’t mean to pick on you. I just think the perception of box wine is interesting. It’s a cycle that will take a while to break. People think wines in boxes are cheap and so aren’t really willing to spend a lot of money on them. Wine producers know this, and when they have a hit wine on their hands they want to make the most money off of it. That means selling it in bottles that people are more comfortable spending $20-$200 per 750ml. Since none of this good wine makes it into boxes, the boxed wine (perhaps rightfully so) seems cheap.

Fly by Night Sailor: I didn’t even consider decanting the box wine, which is just another example of my own prejudice towards this kind of packaging. Wine deserves to be served optimally and savored no matter where it comes from.

Hi Jason,

Funny you mention box wines; I just picked up a few for the first time to use for picnics and cycling this spring. Often we cycle to DC and sit outdoors at a Cafe, so packing a box in my bag, opposed to a bottle is the best solution.

From what I know about box wines, most are of a fruit forward style and encouraged to be consumed young, so funny you would need to decant these guys. Like with the non alcoholic wines a few posts back, Dezel is always up for learning and trying new things.

Have you tried the small single box versions of sparkling wine? Can anyone speak to those?

Have a great weekend.

Hi just bought a box of Hardy’s wine last night. It’s going to be my first box wine experience as I can never drink a whole bottle of regular wine before it goes bad. Also with twins, I can’t seem to find the time to go out and buy a bottle at the drop of a hat, but at the end of a long day with them, I sure could go for a glass. With that being said, I bought the Shiraz and don’t want to drink it chilled. How long do you think the box would last before going bad on the counter? I have heard the ideal storage for boxed wine is in the fridge. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

Mondeep, we’ve had the Cabernet Sauvignon for about a week now. It is still drinkable (and pretty good), but it has been mellowing out over that time. It tastes kind of like it has been decanting or left out for about 5 hours. A rule of thumb might be 1 day = 1 hour. i.e. If you wouldn’t drink a bottle that has been out for 10 hours, don’t drink from a box that has been out for 10 days.

I’m making all of this up and kind of guessing here, but I’d say it will probably “go bad” in another week or so. I’ll check back in and let you know. And let us know how your experience goes.

Thanks for doing a boxed wine review. Like traditional wine, there’s a variety of qualities available. Unlike bottled wine, I’ve yet to find a “corked” box of wine.

Thanks Jason! I’m opening it tonight and will let you know how it goes.

[...] So I’ve been waiting for an occasion to bust out some more box wine. I had a good experience with Hardy’s Box Wine in the past, but have been wanting to try something from the King of Box Wines: Franzia. [...]