Box Wine

Box wine, also known as boxed wine or cask wine, is wine that is packaged in a box. This type of box packaging is a latest trend in packaging and is similar to Bag- In- Box concept. The outer box is usually made of corrugated fiberboard and it contains a plastic bag with wine inside. The cask wines are easy to store and ship when compared to bottled wines.

History of Boxed Wine

The concept of boxed wine was developed by winemaker Thomas Angove, who belonged to South Australia. The process of this wine packaging got patented in the year 1965 on 20^th April. The packaging consists of corrugated boxes that had polyethylene bags of 4.5 liters capacity  which  were designed to use after pulling off one corner of the bag. Special pegs were also provided to close the bags after serving the wine.

A better version of cask wines was introduced in year 1967 by Charles Henry Malpas and Penfold Wines. An air tight tap was attached to the bladder which made the dispersal more convenient.

The boxed wines are currently popular in United States, Europe and South Africa, though the establishment of this packaging was a bit time taking in US.

Advantages of Boxed Wine over Bottled Wine

• The boxed wine packaging is cheaper than bottle packaging.
• Better capacity ranging from two to ten liters is provided in cask wines.
• The cask wines are easy to carry and ship when compared to bottled wines.
• Box wines prevent wine oxidation during the time of dispersing whereas the wine in the bottle gets easily oxidized at the time of pouring.
• The wine in the box remains fresher for a longer time when compared to bottled wine
• The spillage is lesser in box wine when compared to wines in a bottle.
• The wines in box are more environmental friendly when compared to the conventional bottled wines. As per United States Environmental Protection Agency, the production of glass for bottles not only results in greenhouse emissions but also creates sulfur di oxide, nitrogen oxide and many other particles that are not good for the health of lungs. Besides, a wine bottle holding 750 milliliters wine creates 5.2 pounds of CO2 emissions whereas a 3 liter box wine emits approximately half of it.

Limitations of Cask Wines

Boxed wines are not sealed completely and have  shorter shelf life. These wines cannot be stored for ageing in cellars and are thus recommended to be consumed within a year’s time.

Popular Boxed Wines

Black Box wines- These wines are from Californian grape regions and are packaged in boxes that keep them fresh for at least a month. A three-liter pack of these Californian wines costs up to $18.

French Rabbit wines- These boxed wines hold four different French varieties which are: Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. One liter package of these wines costs approximately $10.

Trivia

Box wine make use of 77% lesser energy in production when compared to conventional bottled wines.