Insightful and thorough as the article happens to be, still I’m left asking myself, “Why bother?”
Granted, perhaps out on a picnic in a non-glass-friendly location, a slight though unconvincing advantage could take hold. Such a purchase even recently appeared on a weekend country retreat at which I was in attendance, though no requirement steered this decision. Expansion of variety and possible enhancement of quality notwithstanding, the bottom line remains: There is no substitute for the bottle, a corked one that is.
The opening words of the NYT piece say it best: IT’S the epitome of déclassé, the vinous equivalent of trailer trash, the wine snob’s worst nightmare. No, I don’t mean the screw cap. I’m talking about boxed wine.
The choices are increasing, but why?
In times when quantity trumps quality, most likely in quickly serving a large group of undiscerning palates en masse in the middle of nowhere, perhaps– perhaps– the boxes could be argued as the way to go. But sitting one on your own kitchen counter for weeks on end? Again, why? “The craziest thing” indeed. As far as I’m concerned you’re still better off with “Two Buck Chuck” and a corkscrew, especially where cost is a factor.
And that’s my out-of-the-box opinion!
Ryan R. Sanderson 