Boxed wine sales have been increasing steadily of late for a variety of reasons. Winemakers are able to save a lot of money by putting their wine in a box, which allows them to put more money into making the wine and then put more of it in the box. Consumers are now able to get high-quality wine in a box. This was previously unheard of in the early 2000s and before. However, some major industry shake-ups and the overall acceptance of boxed wine have sent its sales skyrocketing in the last decade.
Black Box Sparks A Fire
When Black Box began to put premium wine in boxes, the industry finally began to look at the possibility that boxed wine could be good wine. Just before 2010, Black Box won several awards from both wine magazines and Consumer Reports. These awards further changed people’s perspective on the boxed wine industry and product. As other winemakers saw the success that Black Box was having, they decided to follow suit. Companies like Bota Box, Bandit, and French Rabbit all joined in and started to put high-quality wine in the “bag in a box” system or Tetra-Pak containers.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
According to the Wall Street Journal, domestic wine sales in 2010 were growing at a rate of about 5.3% annually. However, the emergence of Black Box and others sparked boxed wine sales to soar at 17.9% annually over the same time. At first, some thought that this growth might just be a trend and would fizzle out in a year or two. However, recent numbers show that boxed wine sales for major winemakers are even higher, anywhere between 21-29%. This relatively stable growth of the boxed wine industry is encouraging not only for winemakers but also consumers.
Why So Much Growth?
There are three primary reasons for the rapid and massive growth of boxed wine in recent years. For one, the sustainability and environmentally-friendly packaging of boxed wine works with buyers who increasingly care about our planet and its resources. Secondly, the value of boxed wine over normal bottles is tremendous. With a standard box equaling 4 bottles and coming in at a much cheaper price, more and more people have been willing to give it a try. Finally, a more accepting view of wine not in a glass bottle with a cork has helped it gain traction. The millennial generation is to thank for this as their open attitudes towards new things have helped break the stale mold of “traditional wine drinking”. As wine is taken into more casual settings, the ease and volume of the box has made wine drinking easier.
The Takeaway
As boxed wine sales continue to grow and more winemakers adopt the process, there is no better time to give it a try. Boxed wine offers many advantages over traditional bottled wine and the trends of its growth confirm it. Such impressive numbers must mean something and in the case of boxed wine, they mean that there is something delicious inside.
