It is the sign of the times when Wine Spectator (October 15, 2009) has an article about the best boxed wines as part of its issue devoted to wines under $20 and $10. The economy has some wine drinkers turning their noses up at the wine market for bottles $20 and up, whereas the $20 and under market is surging. Some growers have had a difficult time selling their varietal grapes so the quality of lower priced wines may increase, at least for the next couple of years.

People may be cutting back on more expensive wines, but wines that sell for less than $10 for a standard bottle have gained new popularity and have increased in quality. Box wines vary in size from 1-3 liters making boxes wines very affordable. I have tried a couple of different boxed wines and these aren’t the old jug wines of long ago, recyclable packing, and an airtight inner container in the box makes the wine stay fresh for a while, even if you have just one glass a day for a couple of weeks.