Expert-Recommended Boxed Wines To Try When You Need To Please A Crowd

“The Jenny & Francois From the Tank Rosé is my favorite value rose,” sommelier and founder of Drink This, Drink That, Allie Balin, tells TZR. “Although most people look at box wine as lesser quality juice, this rosé is the best bang for your buck on the market.”

“This wine makes boxes look gooooood,” says sommelier and Vinovore owner Coly Den Haan. “Coming in at a hefty 4.5 bottles of wine, she’s still surprisingly compact and sleek. Organic and biodynamic is a major plus, but it has the flavor to back it up with smoky dried fruit and lifted ripe cherries dipped in black pepper.”

“Bandit Pinot Grigio is a nice Californian pinot grigio with 13% ABV that’s also easy to carry around and consume on the go thanks to its packaging,” says Chiara Gomiero, founder of Handy Wine Guide. “It pairs very well with salty foods like French fries and olives.”

“Black Box Pinot Noir is fruity and well balanced, a good pinot noir choice for a boxed wine,” says Gomiero. “You can pair it easily with many foods thanks to its versatility. Ratatouille, bean dishes, pasta, and pizza with mushrooms are generally a very good fit.”

“If you’re a rosé fan, this blend of syrah, grenache, and cinsault will make you happy,” says Gomiero. “What makes rosé popular is that it’s refreshing like a light white but has extra fruitiness, aromas, and flavors from the red grapes. That’s exactly what you’re going to get from it: refreshing wine with citrus, peach, and red fruit flavors.”

“We picked this zinfandel as it’s a great match for everything that comes out of a BBQ,” continues Gomiero. “Its flavor ranges from red fruits to black fruit depending on its ripening. It has a full body, and is high alcohol with medium-high acidity and tannins.”

“Our house style is inspired by popular old world wines from the Loire Valley and Provence, with an approachable, fruit-forward profile balanced by bright acidity, making it the perfect wine for day-to-day drinking occasions,” Juliet founders Allison Luvera and Lauren De Niro Pipher tell TZR. (Editor’s note: It’s also a brand I personally love.)

“I'm a big fan of Hoot Wine pouches by the Georgas Family,” says Jodie Battles, the Beverage Director for Faccia Brutta and Bar Pallino. “My personal favorite is the Light Red, which is a blend of merlot and savatiano. It's bright and easy drinking with loads of crunchy red berries balanced against some subtle earthy notes.”

“Harvest Press is a great choice when it comes to boxed wine,” Nathan Dale, wine expert for ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, tells TZR. “Lately, the technology used to produce boxed wine has improved vastly, resulting in better packaging and better wine.”

According to sommelier Kara Flaherty, Beverage Director at Take Root Hospitality, boxed wine needs to be something universal; a wine you’re OK with drinking every day. That’s one of the reasons she loves Boxsmith, which has a motto centered around that idea. Plus, she says, its offerings are “varietally correct in taste and where they came from.”