Boxes and Cartons and Cans! Oh my!

Fried jumbo sandwich? Check. Ham barbecue? Ready to go. Brownies? A must. You’ve got all the food and fixings for a great picnic dahn at da Point. Now all you need is the wine. But somehow a glass bottle just doesn’t fit in. Put that bottle down and grab a box, can or carton of wine for your cooler.

Canned wines offer smaller sips, without any leftovers to worry about. A 375 ml can is roughly half a bottle and you’ll get two to three glasses out of the slightly larger 500 ml can. Boxed wine, which holds three liters of wine, or about four bottles worth, uses a vacuum-sealed bag to keep oxygen out, which means the wine stays fresh for up to a month after opening.

But cans of wine do have a disadvantage: They’re much harder, or impossible, to close. Once you’ve opened a can of wine, you’ll probably end up drinking the whole thing. And if it’s temperature-sensitive, like a white or a sparkling, you may drink it faster than you would a similar wine from a glass, even though cans typically hold 375 ml, or 12 ounces, equal to three standard 4-ounce pours.

That doesn’t apply to tallboy wine cans, which are almost the equivalent to a 750 ml bottle.  The best practice may be to open the can and immediately share with some friends, to avoid chugging an amount equal to several glasses of wine in under an hour.

And then there’s the Tetra Pak or carton, which we’ve seen on juice aisles for a while now, so it makes sense to use them for wine, as well. The 1-liter cartons hold about 1 1/3 bottles of wine.

Alternative packages have an advantage over bottles of wine. They’re lightweight, unbreakable, portable, and easy to open. As a result, sales of wine in boxes has risen and sales of wine in cans jumped over 40%. Best of all, winemakers have begun putting some pretty good wine in these alternative containers, if you know where to look.

Boxed wine

Bota Box Night Hawk Black, California ($23 – PLCB 1179): This is our “house red.”  With lush flavors of deep berry, fig jam, dark chocolate, toasted marshmallow and baking spice, this smooth, full-bodied wine culminates in a juicy, lingering finish. 

 Chateau Montaud Rosé, Cotes de Provence ($30 - PLCB # 77777): This rosé is dry, not sweet, with a pale pink color and strawberry aromas and flavors. Are you looking for an all-around great food wine? This is our “house rosé."

The Naked Grape Cabernet Sauvignon, California ($18 - PLCB # 7125): This dark, opaque, full-bodied wine is a pleasant surprise. Try this cab with smoky foods, such as barbecue or smoked cheese.

Black Box Chardonnay, California ($22 - PLCB # 5905): This wine offers baked apple aromas and lemon and citrus fruit, along with a caramel finish.

Canned wine

Union Wine Co. Underwood Pinot Gris, Oregon ($28/375 ml four-pack - PLCB # 42885): The soft peach and apricot notes are a great match with spicy food.

Scarpetta Frico Lambrusco ($14 /187 ml four-pack - PLCB # 76563): The classic sparkling aperitivo of the Emilia Romagna region of Italy and a great start to every occasion.

Union Wine Co. Underwood Rosé, Oregon ($32/375 ml four-pack – PALCB # 74034): Another from Oregon’s canned wine specialist, this bright rosé has a light strawberry, ruby red grapefruit and blood orange fruit mix.

Tetra Pak wine

Bandit Pinot Grigio, California ($8/1 liter – PALCB # 4654): Developed by the Three Thieves, which features colorful containers in bright yellow, neon green, purple and blue shades. Extremely drinkable, light Pinot Grigio, with pear and citrus flavors.