La Cave du Vin Issue 4 - Box Wine: Undrinkable Swill or Legitimate Table Wine?
- Deepest House -
Let’s face it, box wine doesn’t have a good reputation. Many of us may think back to the 1980s and 1990s when box wines first hit the market and were, in a word, terrible. But are box wines as bad as we think they are? Are they a reasonable alternative to bottles, and what are the advantages and drawbacks?
In the recent years, there has been an explosion of box wines available on the market. Growing up, all I ever saw was the ubiquitous Franzia; although that may have just been because my father was indeed that cheap (to be fair, he did drink a bottle of Lafite Rothschild with me on my 18th birthday many years ago). I don’t recall any other brands, though there may have been. Today a wide selection of box wines calls for our attention at the store, a few of which I have tried.
Tonight, La Cave du Vin examines Black Box 2014 Cabernet from Valle Central, Chile. The box, as expected, is black, short and stout, with a sleek styling that clearly seeks to dispel the notion that what you are about to purchase is cheap or low quality. A graphic inset proudly proclaims this wine as the recipient of 50 gold medals, although does not identify what these competitions were or where they were held. A lot of box wine these days will have similar claims in an effort to convince you of their quality. It also declares that Wine Enthusiast has awarded Black Box 29 Best Buy awards since 2004.
There is a perforated opening towards the bottom of the box, through which you pull the tap. This tap opens and closes with a twist, although I’ve also seen Black Box with a push button tap. Inside the box is a vacuum-sealed bag, which turns out to be one of box wine’s secrets, that dispenses the product into your glass.
The bag-in-a-box wine holds three liters, which is the equivalent of four of the typical 750 milliliter bottles for sale at the wine shop. Not a bad start. With a typical bottle of wine, you usually want to finish the bottle the same night you open it, or if you must, cork it and put it in the refrigerator for the next day. Opening the bottle exposes the wine to oxygen, which over time can degrade its flavor and quality. This is where box wine really shines.
The vacuum-sealed bag that holds the wine collapses as you pour, preventing oxygen from affecting the taste. A box of wine can last up to a month without any difference in the taste. I’ve never noticed any difference in taste or quality of box wine from the first glass to the last.
The packaging, a cardboard box and a plastic bag, is much cheaper to produce than a bottle and cork. They are also much lighter, resulting in easier shipping. These facts help keep the cost of box wine down relative to bottled wine. They also produce much less waste for the landfill and are easier to recycle. It all sounds good so far, but if it doesn’t taste good, what’s the point?
The Black Box 2014 Cabernet from Valley Central, Chile, has a bold fruit flavor. Such a young wine, a Cabernet at that, will usually have stronger fruits than a wine that has begun to mature. With a bright and lively aroma, cherries and raspberries are present with the first taste. These fruits dominate the palate, and the finish fades quickly, giving way to strong tannins.
The wine is soft in the mouth and pleasant to drink. I’m pretty sure this wine never saw the inside of a barrel, and lacks the refinement and oaken flavors that barrel time offers. The strong fruits also overpower whatever earthen dirt flavors that may linger underneath. Overall, it’s not a greatly balanced wine – there are not various layers of sophisticated flavors that emerge from oak-aged wines – but it does taste good and is easy to drink. The cherries and raspberries provide its main quality, and there’s not much beyond the aggressive fruit.
I will typically only open a bottle on the weekend, when I’m able to take my time and drink it all in a night, or save for the second night. During the week, I often want a glass of wine with my meal and don’t want to open a bottle. For those nights, box wine fills a necessary niche. To be able to have a glass or two, and the rest remain fresh, offers tremendous value. While not the best wine, it also doesn’t force a double take or any regrets.
Typically about $20 at a wine shop, or $16 at Costco, Black Box 2014 Cabernet from Valle Central represents a decent everyday drinker. Given the advantages of staying fresh for so long, ease of use with the no-drip tap system, environmentally-friendly packaging, and its relative quality, La Cave du Vin rates this wine as a “Buy.” At $20, that’s $5 a bottle, we can have a perfectly drinkable table wine that stays fresh throughout its life and offers tremendous value. Box wine today is not the box wine of yesterday.