Wine ina box...Yes or no?

1. 61

   OregonWinoposted 14 years ago

   So running a debate on whether wine ina  box is acceptable for entertaining....
   
   So what are your thought?  Has WIAB (wine in a box) become acceptable for us wine snobs?

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   1. 61

      OregonWinoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Come on...you all know you love it!!!!  who doesnt love 5 litres of houch for $10?

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   2. 67

      MikeNVposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Take 4 or 5 different wines and pour them in glases.  Have your guests sample them and tell you what they like and you'll have your answer.
      
      This was done on 60 minutes/48 Hours/Nightline something or other with Vodka and people couldn't pick the premium brands from the cheap ones!
      
      Happy Entertaining.
      
      
      

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         OregonWinoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I have done something similar (just one wine) a highly rated boxed wine and did'nt tell everyone that it was from a box and everyone loved it.

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   3. 60

      deberonposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      BlackBox wines are actually pretty good.  Reds for sure, I dont drink white wine.  Try a box!

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         OregonWinoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I had a bod of the cab and was VERY surprised with how good it was!

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2. 93

   habeeposted 14 years ago

   Ummm...no.

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      OregonWinoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Not even the "Black Box" wines that are rating pretty darn high in blind tasting?

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3. 70

   sunforgedposted 14 years ago

   yes..more quality vintners are adopting the packaging which is supposedly the best option for maintaining flavor integrity after opening

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      Jeffrey Nealposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I have heard this also.  For Christmas a couple of years ago a neighbor got us a stopper for wine bottles with a suction device to keep things fresh.  It works pretty good and you get an arm workout to boot.
      
      I haven't drank wine out of a box in some time, although one of my wife's coworkers only buys the boxes or magnums for the weekend...the only time she drinks...but does she drink, WHOA!

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   2. 61

      OregonWinoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yep, that is what I have been hearing as well.  I sometimes get samples to try for my blog and one I got recently was in a box....it was meant for restaurante sale, and was a boxed version of their 93 point vintage.  I must say that if you do not intend to drink the entire bottle, boxed wine stays fresh and wont oxidize..

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4. 59

   Gregg Biancciposted 14 years ago

   Wine in a box used to all be awful, there are now some pretty quality boxed wines out there.

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5. 62

   Mishaposted 14 years ago

   Last time I tried it was crap.

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   1. 61

      OregonWinoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I agree that there are bad boxed wines, in fact I would say that most are not very good.  But the same is true of the under $5 bottled wines...

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         Mishaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         True dat. The only bearable under 5 would be Charles Shaw probably. But under 10 you can find quite a few, especially at Trader Joe's

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6. 0

   ralwusposted 14 years ago

   I like mine out of a corked bottle, but mostly Scotch, or Bourbon.

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      Gregg Biancciposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Ah bouron, I thought only old ladies from the south drank that?
      
      Just kidding, I really enjoy bourbon - apparently it's popularity is rising all over the world.

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7. 0

   sneakorocksolidposted 14 years ago

   I use to buy Paine's EG ale in a box. After a couple you didn't even give it a thought. As long as it's not Boones farm or Thunderbird how bad can it be?

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8. 93

   habeeposted 14 years ago

   I haven't tried the newer boxed wines.

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9. 78

   Uninvited Writerposted 14 years ago

   It all depends on the quality of the wines. That being said, I don't have any boxes of wine around and prefer bottles.

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   1. 61

      OregonWinoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised by some of the new boxed wines I have tried.  I am also a  fan of not having to worry about them going bad or the cork degrading AND they use much less packaging which is better for recycling etc.

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10. 67

    Midasfxposted 14 years ago

    Being partial to cheap alcohol doesn't make my opinion have much value, but... Someone somewhere created wine in a box for a reason.
    
    Its cheap, crappy, but yet I see it at every grocery store I have ever been in from coast to coast in the USA. So someone has to enjoy it and buy this stuff.
    
    I have had some bad tasting wines in my time, but they were all from a bottle, not a box. Wine in a box is also heavily sold in restaurants, so one might think that this stuff ain't that bad.
    
    But overall, its not that good.
    
    9 out of 10 times a $5 bottle will taste better then a $10 box of wine.

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11. 0

    B.C. BOUTIQUEposted 14 years ago

    I have never bought wine in a box, I always buy my usual bottles for entertaining, sometimes i spend hours in the wine isles looking for something new that might be good and exciting..
    
    but that is just my opinion...
    
    If wine in the box is good, go for it..I just have never tried it

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12. 52

    Delaney Bolingposted 14 years ago

    The concept of wine-inna-box could work because there are some definate advantages. Being that there is a limited amount of air (oxygen) getting into the wine, there is less likelihood that the wine will spoil faster. This also enables the user to store the wine for a longer period of time without fear of it going bad. The problem, however, lies in the fact that most winemakers feel that the "bag in a box" concept is cheap and therefore they use the concept to release their shit wine. Typically, bag in a box wine is pressed from grape seeds and stems and therefore full of acid and without many overnotes of flavor. Another detractor is the fact that high acidity wine tends to give many people headaches. For this reason, bag in a box wine is reserved to Chefs to use for cooking purposes mainly though some unscrupulous dining establishments will serve box-wine as their "house" wine. To answer your question - Should bow wine be served? No. There are plenty of affordable vintages out there that have incredible body and great nuances flavorwise. Leave the box-wine in the kitchen and spend a few bucks to make your guests happy.

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       OregonWinoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Awesome!  Thank you for the well thought out response!  I am going to go check out some of your hubs as you area  great writer!

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       1. 52

          Delaney Bolingposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          You're welcome! I'll check out your hubs as well. Anytime you want to talk wine or food, just drop me a line. I'm not the most knowledgable wine-buff, but I have rubbed shoulders with many top winemakers here in CA.

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13. 61

    june of agesposted 14 years ago

    Some are decent and some are awful.  The tetra boxed wines from Oz are quite decent.  As with any type of wine, boxed wine tastes WAY better if decanted for an hour before it is consumed.

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14. 0

    shazwellynposted 14 years ago

    I like boxed wine for festivals!  You can take the bladder out from the box, put it in a backpack with a plastic glass and just pour!  Nothing better than being at the front of the stage with a great indie band, pumping away at the wine bladder!  Saves any queueing and you are guaranteed of wine that you will enjoy cos you've picked it! 
    
    Partying in your wellies at Glastonbury Festival... yes!

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    1. 61

       OregonWinoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Love it!  Reminds me of college and smuggling booze into all kinds of places..

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15. 68

    Bill Manningposted 14 years ago

    I never acquired a taste for any type of alcohol. Beer, wine, whiskey, rum, it all taste the same to me, poison. Don't understand how people get hooked on it.
    
    But if I do drink, it's some type of wine.

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16. 91

    Rochelle Frankposted 14 years ago

    I've tasted some awful box wines-- but have found one particular variety of one particular brand that is fine for an everyday dinner. If you are having spaghetti and garlic bread or meatloaf and potatoes it's fine-- and it keeps in the pantry.

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       OregonWinoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Do you recall what the brand was?  I am always looking to try out a new variety.

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          Rochelle Frankposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          One of the cheaper ones-- Peter Vella, Delicious Red. Now some of you will know that I have no taste.
          It is not great, But it is not awful. Like I said, a very inexpensive table wine-- a little garlic bread does wonders. I was hopeful that some of their other varieties would be acceptable. I haven't found that.

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17. 60

    Karina S.posted 14 years ago

    no!

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18. 61

    Curious Jenposted 14 years ago

    It's a good option for hiking and camping.  I should add, it is a good option once you have finished hiking and camp is set up.

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19. 69

    waynetposted 14 years ago

    I'll drink it anyway you can throw it at me, just warn me first so I have my mouth open!

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20. 61

    Betty Reidposted 14 years ago

    For me, it would depend who I'm entertaining.  Usually I'd be fine with it, as long as I had already tried it myself and thought it was good.

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21. 60

    PeterKlibsposted 14 years ago

    I'm a fan of the higher end wine in a box brands. It makes having a glass of wine a day much easier.  Esquire had an issue in August about quality wine in a box brands.

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22. 61

    megs78posted 14 years ago

    I prefer bottled wines for small dinner parties, but when I have a large dinner party planned, I go for a good boxed wine which is easy to find here, and NO it is not cheap.  the best i have had by far is called "the little Penguin' Shiraz.  It is a great tasting wine that your guests will love.  A 3 litre box will cost you about 35 dollars, but its well worth it.  Another good one is Chateau de Minville, but its harder to find and will run you 50 dollars for a 4 litre.

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23. 81

    earnestshubposted 14 years ago

    In Australia we have a lot of world class wine, the boxed varieties are generally ok, but are often blended from many cheap grapes, with prices as low as a few dollars. If you know what to buy and pay a bit more there are some very good boxed wines too, but generally not up to the high standard set by the bottles wines.
    OK for barbecues!

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24. 70

    yenajeonposted 14 years ago

    FRANZIA: for a real event, probably not!
    I've actually tried the stuff and the quality isn't SOO awful, but at a nice cocktail party, I don't think people would wanna drink out of a box!

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25. 0

    sneakorocksolidposted 14 years ago

    Thats fine as long as we don't have to listen to it! Sorry, just shoot me!

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26. 65

    Flightkeeperposted 14 years ago

    I think it makes sense to sell wine in a box but aesthetically it just looks so tacky that most people don't want it for the more expensive wines.

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