More And More People Prefer Wine In A Box

WMTW.COM ^ | 10-13-2005 | AP

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

WASHINGTON -- Would you like that wine in a bottle or in a box?

According to a marketing information company, more and more people are preferring the latter. AC-Nielsen said sales of premium-priced, three-liter boxes are increasing faster than any other segment.

Industry consultant John Fredrikson said boxed wines are appealing to the growing number of Americans who drink wine more regularly. He said they want something that doesn't need uncorking and will last longer than just a few days.

The amount inside is also a good value. A 3-liter box contains the equivalent of four bottles of wine, and the cost translates to around $4 to $5 a bottle for quality wine. A box should keep for at least four weeks after opening.

Boxed wine actually has been around for years. But traditionally, it was low-brow stuff that the wine bottle crowd wouldn't touch.

Not anymore. Now, 90 percent of sales of 3-liter boxes are by people switching some of their buying from bottles. The rest are starting to buy more wine or trying it for the first time, according to ACNielsen

For the record, boxed wines are not really in boxes. They're actually bags in boxes with spigots that keep the air out. That keeps the wine from oxidizing.

[Tax-chick]

My refrigerator is too full for that.

[x1stcav]

"Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink
I feel shame Then I look into the glass and think
about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes
and dreams If I didn't drink this wine, they might be out
of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say
to myself, "It is better that I drink this wine and let their
dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."
~ Jack Handy

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may leave you wondering what the hell happened to your bra and panties.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they
wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're
going to feel all day. "
~Frank Sinatra


WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."
~ Henny Youngman


WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may lead you to think people are laughing WITH you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence?
I think not."
~ Stephen Wright


WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to think you can sing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk,
we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.
When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let's all
get drunk and go to heaven!"
~ Brian O'Rourke


WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause pregnancy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants
us to be happy."
~ Benjamin Franklin


WARNING: The consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like a retard.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Without question, the greatest invention in the
history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the
wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does
not go nearly as well with pizza."
~ Dave Barry


WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To some it's a six-pack, to me it's a Support Group. Salvation in a can!
~ Dave Howell


WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite s e x without spitting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And saving the best for last, as explained by Cliff Clavin,
of Cheers. One afternoon at Cheers, Cliff Clavin was explaining the Buffalo Theory to his buddy Norm.
Here's how it went:

"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo
can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when
the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones
at the back that are killed first This natural selection is
good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the
regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the
slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we
know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

I'll stick to the bottle...it tastes better being in glass.

[#1CTYankee]

My wife likes red wine with dinner, I'm frugal so I decided to purchase some of the box type a couple years ago.
No complaints from her so it works for me.

[Welsh Rabbit]

I'm also noticing more and more decent wines coming with a screw top (not just bum wines). Make sense, corks are medieval technology.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Maureen Dowd orders hers in handy, washing-machine size boxes.

[thefactor]

at my frat parties a few years ago, we would have wine and cheese parties with sororities. it was basically giving chicks an excuse to dress up, get loaded, and get hit on. we would have bottles of wine. and when the bottles were empty, we would bring the bottles into the kitchen and refill them...with wine from the box.

they would think we spent so much buying tons of bottles of wine. they ate it up. they never questioned why white wine was coming out of a bottle of chianti.

[misterrob]

[kinsman redeemer]

My little General Store sold it in a can last year. About 10-ounces went for $5! I didn't buy any and I was surprised it got sold to anyone. But then the General Store has gone "yuppie" since it got sold. Now instead of buying work gloves and fuses - all I can buy is pate' and crafts. It makes me sick to see what the NIMBY yuppies have done to my community. Like stopping improvements to the road - because "some trees would have to be cut down!" They move into their new McMansions (all new and mostly unfurnished) with their outdoor flood lights then they want to stop any changes. They are change!

Anyway, what was the topic again?

[js1138]

It doesn't need refrigeration, because no air enters the bag. Unless you insist on it being chilled.

Even so, it takes less room than a milk bottle. Easier for the kids to use, too.

[Welsh Rabbit]

LOL! Thanks for the Jack Handy quote. I thought I'd heard them all, but that one is new to me.

[RTINSC]

When we were young, we liked our wine in a bag. A paper bag.

[eastsider]

He said they want something that doesn't need uncorking and will last longer than just a few days.

It's easier just to polish off the bottle. And much more fun.

[babaloo]

Jokes aside--what is worth purchasing in a box that is good enough for a glass after work or with dinner? I have been tempted but I do not know where to spend the big bucks. Suggestions?

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Here's a photo of Maureen Dowds's kitchen. You'll note that she has neatly stored her wine-in-a-box right next to her refrigerator.

Maureen reports that the wine remains fresh even on those rare occasions when it takes her as long as a week to get through the box.

[eastsider]

all I can buy is pate'

A bit of paté? I drink it all day!

[Clemenza]

AC-Nielsen said sales of premium-priced, three-liter boxes are increasing faster than any other segment.

Target now sells "bag in a box" wines for $14. They sell quite well.

Nevertheless, this "Wineaux" has never tasted boxed wine that tasted like anything more than a hybrid of Welch's and turpentine.

I doubt that Stag's Leap or Joseph Phelps will be cashing in on this so-called box craze anytime soon.

[MineralMan]

"But then the General Store has gone "yuppie" since it got sold. Now instead of buying work gloves and fuses - all I can buy is pate' and crafts."

I guess it's not a General Store any more, then. More of a Bootyque.

Sounds like it's time for someone to fire up a new General Store. Or maybe there's not enough business for one any longer. Darned few General Stores in business any more, except maybe in remote tourist areas.

[Cobra64]

We have a separate fridge for our bottled wine. But boxed wine stacks better.