I’m sure I’m not alone in this, but there’s something I feel the need to say:  I Like Box Wines. Ok, not all boxed wines, but there are several that I’ve tried that manage to blend quality wine with the economic (and ecological) value of purchasing wine in a boxed format.
Not only are these producers making average to good wines, they’re also creating interesting packaging for their wines that makes you happy to place them out on a counter for everybody to see (and help themselves to a glass). Companies like Target, with their Wine Cube available in a wide selection of varietals and with a custom stand and cover to make the wine easier to pour and more attractive, and Octavin Home Wine Bar, which has paired with producers to put their wines in their packaging that’s tall and, obviously, octagonal in shape, are making wines available that you would be more than happy to drink out of a bottle, but in a package that’s better for the environment and the pocket book.
Just doing a simple search for “interesting boxed wines” turned up several companies that are making higher end wines available in boxed form and even offering high end boxes to display the wines in, making them something you’d be proud to have out at your home bar for that glass of wine at the end of the night.
Companies like The 20 are taking boxed wine and moving it into the upper echelon of wines, with high-end wines and packaging. I personally want to see a producer that creates a box that looks like nothing so much as a barrel of wine like what you’d see in the barrel room of most any winery in the country. Put some good wine in there and not only do you have a source of wine to enjoy, but it’s something that will spark interest from your friends.
I’m not suggesting that bottles of wine are going to disappear, nor should they, but I’d really like to see more producers making boxed options available, and thinking of new and inventive ways to display these boxes so that people buying them at the store don’t have to feel ashamed like they just bought a bottle of crappy Franzia. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.
