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Sep 24, 2023

Boxed Wine Is Better—and More Sustainable—Than Ever

You’ll never go back to bottles again. Bryce Jones is an associate editor for

You’ll never go back to bottles again.

Bryce Jones is an associate editor for Better Homes and Gardens and specializes in covering all things lifestyle. She's been working in journalism for over five years.

The boxed wine you knew in college, like you, has grown up. If you’ve moved on from nights of slapping the bag, luxury brands are setting a new standard for the boxed wine sub-industry, revamping everything from the packaging to the quality of wine. And the benefits don't stop at the more elevated feel—the sustainability, lasting time, and the fact that you can take it with you wherever, whenever, have made boxed wine more appealing among younger generations and beyond.

Companies like Juliet and Bota Box, two of the top boxed wine brands right now, are reimagining the experience of drinking wine out of a box and are on a mission to change people's perception of doing so. The industry as a whole is becoming more popular, too: Boxed wine is one of few segments in the wine category that is currently growing, according to a 2023 report from IRI Worldwide, with wine sold in 3-liter boxes driving the majority of growth. Dollar sales for 3-liter box wine are up 3% compared to a year ago, while the total wine category is down 1% over the same period.

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After doing a survey among consumers, Juliet found that, for more than two-thirds of women, their number one wine-drinking scenario is at home by themselves to relax. Taking that into account, one of the main goals of Juliet's boxed wine format is to appeal to these women and provide a relaxing yet luxurious experience in the comfort of their own space.

"We wanted to do that by putting high quality wine in super innovative, gorgeous packaging that also happens to reduce the carbon footprint of wine by more than half, and so we are about creating something that's very uncompromising," says Juliet co-founder Allison Luvera. "We really hope that by doing this, it will help to break this negative stigma against boxed wine, and really to create a culture shift away from wine and glass bottles for everyday drinking occasions."

Juliet

The main upgrade boxed wine offers compared to bottles is the sustainability element: The low weight and material makes it much more environmentally friendly. Glass isn't regularly recycled in the U.S., and it's extremely resource-heavy to produce, as it's made by firing coal.

"[Our founders] realized that there was an opportunity in the wine space for premium wine that is high quality wine in the box format, that also had sustainability as part of it," says Mary Burnham, director of public relations for Bota Box. "From a sustainability standpoint, cartons are recyclable, and because you can fit so much more wine sufficiently in a box, it's also much cheaper to ship as well. So you use less energy and production, less energy and transport, and there's less waste."

If you’re someone who loves bringing wine with you on-the-go, boxed is the way to do it. Because it's lightweight and can hold multiple bottles, the format is extremely portable.

"You think about backyard barbecues, you think about the beach, you think about taking it on the boat, taking it to a picnic, if maybe you're going camping," says Lauren de Niro Pipher, co-founder of Juliet. "I know maybe the first thing you can give isn't necessarily wine, but maybe you know there are certainly people that are taking it outdoors, and then once you finish drinking it, you’re not worrying about carting a glass bottle back with you."

It's common knowledge among wine drinkers that if you open a bottle, you have just a couple of days to finish it off before it oxidizes and gets that unappealing, vinegary taste. Boxed wine, one the other hand, can last up to six weeks, and you can get up to two bottles worth in one box.

"There's a ton of wasted wine," Burnham says. "When you look at the statistics, there's millions of gallons of wine poured down the sink because people just don't finish the bottle, and obviously wine goes bad very quickly once it's opened."

With the launch of miniature Bota Boxes (a 500ml format) and Bota Box Breeze, a low-sugar, low-carb option, Burnham sees the future of boxed wine heading toward smaller sizes and healthy alternatives.

"I think we’ll continue to see an evolution in the smaller format, and people are looking for beverages and balance in healthy lifestyles," Burnham says. "What we found was that this was a huge unmet need. So whether it's light wine or no-alcohol wine, people are really eager for healthy options in the beverage alcohol space."

Boxed wine is also starting to find its place on shelves next to bottled variants, as well as in luxury resort and restaurant settings, thanks to the packaging and premiumness of the product inside.

"It's a testament to the fact that we are making a dent in moving this wine industry forward with helping consumers look at this as a really approachable format," de Niro Pipher says. "And with all the convenience and sustainability benefits, we really think this should become much more of a normal practice."