Good wine is increasingly finding its way into bags and boxes—formats long associated with inexpensive, mass-produced bottles. Producers are beginning to challenge that reputation with distinctive wines made from carefully grown grapes.

Chicago beverage consultant Dylan Melvin, co-founder of My Dear Friends, sells small-production wines from family-owned growers in South Africa’s Western Cape. They come in colorful 1.5-liter “Bagnums,” each holding about two standard bottles.

The packaging is unusual, but Melvin says the wine matters most. His goal is to make expressive wines more approachable and easy to share.

Bag-in-box wines use a flexible pouch fitted with a tap, either sold on its own or placed inside a cardboard box. They weigh less than glass bottles, are easier to carry and can have a smaller environmental footprint. The pouch also collapses as wine is poured, limiting oxygen exposure and helping the wine stay fresh for weeks after opening.

Premium boxed wine has been popular for years in Nordic countries. In Sweden, bag-in-box accounted for nearly half of wine sold by volume in 2025, with options ranging from everyday selections to wines made from well-known grapes and regions. In the United States, the move toward higher-quality wines in these formats has been slower.

A change of heart at Tablas Creek

At first glance, boxed wine might seem an unlikely choice for Tablas Creek Vineyard, a Paso Robles winery founded in partnership with Château de Beaucastel, the renowned Châteauneuf-du-Pape producer. Tablas Creek is known for elegant, age-worthy Rhône-style wines and has also built a reputation for sustainable farming. It has been certified organic since 2003, biodynamic since 2017 and Regenerative Organic Certified since 2020.

The winery began considering boxed wine after reviewing its carbon footprint. Partner and general manager Jason Haas found that glass bottles and their transportation were major sources of emissions. He estimated that switching to bag-in-box packaging could reduce packaging-related carbon emissions by about 84%.

Haas was initially reluctant, concerned about boxed wine’s association with cheap products. A friend challenged him to reconsider: if a winery like Tablas Creek wouldn’t help change that perception, who would?

In 2022, the winery offered its first boxed wine, Patelin de Tablas rosé, to wine club members. The three-liter box—equivalent to four standard bottles—cost nearly $100 and sold out in four hours. Many buyers told Haas they had never bought boxed wine before. Demand for later releases led the winery to triple production and expand distribution.

For customers, freshness became another selling point. Unlike an opened bottle, the pouch limits oxygen exposure after each pour. “It’s like having wine on tap at your convenience,” Haas says—especially useful for people who want a glass now and then without opening a whole bottle.

The wine comes first

For both Haas and Melvin, packaging is secondary to the wine itself. My Dear Friends’ skin-contact white, for example, is made from dry-farmed grapes grown by third-generation farmers in Swartland. The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented in small batches with native yeast.

Tablas Creek’s Patelin de Tablas wines are designed to be fresh and youthful, unlike the winery’s more age-worthy bottlings. They share its commitment to organically grown grapes, native yeast fermentation and careful blending.

Melvin sees the Bagnum as a format made for sharing—at holiday gatherings, picnics and house parties, as well as at dinner. “What made it special was making something worth sharing,” he says.

Bagged and boxed wines are generally intended to be enjoyed young and fresh, not stored for years. Their recommended shelf life is often about six months from the date they are filled. Once opened, however, they may last considerably longer than expected. My Dear Friends’ supplier estimates that a Bagnum can stay fresh for up to 45 days; Tablas Creek recommends several weeks for its boxes. Haas says he once found a nearly empty box of rosé in his refrigerator six months after opening it—and the last glass was still delicious. Refrigeration helps, even for red wines, which can be brought back to serving temperature before drinking.

Because premium options can be difficult to find in stores, buying directly from wineries or specialty sellers may offer more choice and fresher stock. Importer Communal Brands, which focuses on small, low-intervention producers, offers a range of bagged and boxed wines, including its popular Hérisson Rouge, a Burgundy blend of gamay and pinot noir.

Bagged and boxed wines to try

• My Dear Friends 2024 Red Table Wine, Swartland — 1.5-liter Bagnum, $30: A light-bodied blend of cinsault, mourvèdre, syrah and touriga nacional from sustainably farmed, dry-farmed vineyards. Made with native yeast and suited to serving slightly chilled. Listed at Foxtrot.

• Tablas Creek 2025 Patelin de Tablas Blanc, Paso Robles — 3-liter box, $105: A fragrant Rhône-inspired blend of grenache blanc, viognier, roussanne, marsanne, vermentino and picpoul blanc, with stone-fruit flavors and a touch of spice. Available from Tablas Creek.

• Bedrock Wine Co. 2025 Ode to Lulu Rosé, California — 3-liter box, $100: A savory rosé inspired by Domaine Tempier in Bandol and made primarily from mourvèdre vines around 130 years old. Distribution is limited. See Bedrock Wine.

• Ryme Cellars NV Orange Sunshine, California — 3-liter box, $105: A lively, easy-drinking orange wine made from skin-fermented vermentino, pinot gris and greco. Available from Ryme Cellars.

• Schplink 2025 Grüner Veltliner, Weinviertel — 3-liter box, $40: A crisp white with green apple and lime flavors, made by an 11th-generation Austrian family estate. Available through Communal Brands.

• Colette Cabernet Franc, Bourgueil — 3-liter box, $45: A light, aromatic Loire Valley red with raspberry and cherry notes. Certified organic and enjoyable lightly chilled. Available through Communal Brands.

• Vagabonde Rouge, Côtes du Rhône — 1.5-liter Bagnum, $25: A fruit-forward red with gentle tannins and a refreshing edge from cinsault. Made with organically grown grapes by a small cooperative near Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Available through Communal Brands.