70s-style wine box is back on tap
The wine box is back on shelves – and sales have taken off.
The 1970s favourite – which fell out of favour after being thought of as cheap, mass-produced plonk – has been given an upmarket makeover.
Britons drank 56million litres of boxed wine last year, worth £290million – up 10 per cent on 2014.
From magnum-sized 1.5 litre bags to three litre whoppers, a new wave of boxed wine is on offer in shops, restaurants and bars.
The boxes – also known as “bag in a box” wines – are lighter and cheaper to transport than glass bottles, require less packaging in storage and can be sold 20-30 per cent cheaper.
The wine, in containers holding the equivalent of three or four bottles, is held in an air-tight plastic pouch with a spout attached.
Importers, who ship the wine in from overseas and bag it here, say more robust taps can now keep the wine fresh for up to six weeks after opening, although experts recommend up to three weeks.
A 2.25 litre box of Sainsbury’s Merlot costing £14.25 works out at £4.75 per 75cl , compared with a typical £6.50 for an equivalent bottle. And sales are up nine per cent.
Sainsbury’s Lisa Rogerson said: “Bag- in- box wines didn’ t have the best reputation.
“But thanks to advances in packaging technology, they are a great way to enjoy good quality wine.”