Box Wine, Wineberry, Appellation Wine and Spirits, Frankly Wines, Le Du Wines, Sustainable, Biodynamic, Organic, Natural Yeast, Domaine le Garrigon, Red Wine, Wooden Box,

Let’s face it, there’s never been anything sexy or seductive about pouring

wine from a spigot. But the box formally known as Chateau Cardboard is going upscale and finally getting prime placement on wine store shelves.

Why? Value and sustainability. The wine lasts longer since it avoids its own worst enemies: air and light. The bag inside collapses as the wine is poured, so almost no oxygen reaches the liquid.

Tree-hugging Friendly

It’s also cheaper to package and ship, so the maker can pass along the savings to you. The boxes are recyclable and take less energy to produce and transport. Lighter packaging means reducing the carbon footprint and the amount of carbon dioxide emitted when wines travel from coast to coast. The import company Wineberry, which specializes in French wines, uses pine boxes, which not only fill the attractive quotient, but they use wood that is grown sustainably in Bordeaux. The boxes contain the equivalent of four 750ml bottles.

Taste Test

Ultimately though, it’s what’s on the inside that makes the difference. While Americans think of box wine as a punch-line, Europeans have been tapping into boxes for years. Wine that even snobby oenophiles are impressed with.

In 2008, Italy’s Agriculture Ministry gave the green light that certain wines which receive the government’s quality assurance label could be sold in boxes. French love to keep their fontaine à vin rose in the fridge. And Australians? Well, they’re the ones who first came up with the design. The inventor, Tomas Angove, died last week at the age of 92. When he came up with the idea of putting wine in a resealable bag in the 1960’s, even his 15 year old son was appalled.

Discriminating Recommendation

Appellation Wine & Spirits in Chelsea recommends Domaine le Garrigon, a biodynamic wine from the Rhone Valley imported by Wineberry and sells for around $40 (available here). It’s an earthy, Grenache-based red with Syrah and Carignan and has notes of plum, blackberry and a hints of black pepper.

Greener Pastures

While tradition is taking a hit with screw top bottles and box wines, don’t throw away your corkscrew just yet. Boxes have yet to replace bottles and in fact, they’re still hard to find. As for the sexy factor, well... there’s always a decanter.