Visitors to winery tasting rooms frequently ask staff about  “box” wines – why are they so inexpensive, are there any good ones, and do we like them?  As with any product, the package does not make the product – its what is inside that counts.

The concept of the bag-in-box is a clever means of delivering quality wine with a minimum of cost and maximum convenience.  We all know that with most products larger containers are associated with lower per-unit costs.  Even though the material costs remain the same, the cost of the container per unit of volume diminishes as the container size increases.  A standard 750ml wine bottle costs about $.55, the cork another $0.15,  and the capsule and label another $0.15.  Each bottle of wine has $0.85 tied up in the package alone, which equates to about $2.10 by the time everybody adds their “markup” and the bottle appears on the retail shelf.  On the other hand, a 3-liter jug with a cap and a label costs about $1.00 and it holds the equivalent of four (4) regular wine bottles, so the package cost goes from $0.86/750ml to $0.25/750ml.  This savings is passed on to the consumer in the form of lower retail prices. 

Glass vs. Box

The problem with a glass jug is that once it is opened, the wine is exposed to air.  Unfortunately, air (oxygen) is bad for wine as it causes the wine to prematurely “age” and lose the fresh, fruit character.  Enter the collapsible bag in a box.  The bag is actually a multi-layered plastic bag that contains a layer of saran, which is a very effective barrier to oxygen.  Unlike a jug, as the wine is withdrawn from the container, it collapses around the wine, keeping the harmful air away from the wine.  Because air is kept away from the wine, the last glass of wine is as fresh as the first glass.

Fortunately, the box and the bag cost about the same as a jug, cap, and label,  so the bag-in-box is just as economical as the glass jug.  In addition, bags and boxes weigh less than glass jugs and square containers stack better than round containers like jugs, so space is saved and shipping costs are reduced, which is important when wines are shipped long distances.  And finally, the convenience of not having to remove the container from the refrigerator when pouring a glass of wine makes the bag-in-box much more user friendly than a jug.

Perception vs. Fact

Unfortunately, because the package is so economical, it has been used almost exclusively on cheap wines.  While it may not be the ideal container for super premium wines, because of the limited shelf life, there is no reason that the bag-in-box delivery system could not be used on mid-priced wines that are designed to be consumed within a few months after purchase.   In fact,  a few quality varietal wines are beginning to appear on the market.  No longer are boxed wine drinkers confined to cheap “Chablis” and White Zinfandels, there are now some finer wines available at moderate prices.  Hopefully the day is not far off when, like the screw cap, consumers will no longer look down their noses at these alternative packages.