The Best Boxed Red Wines, According to Our Taste Test

Boxed wines can offer tremendous value and convenience and often have a lower carbon footprint than standard bottles. But they vary in quality, and the format is sometimes a convenient way for producers to package lackluster wine in bulk. Red wines can be inherently trickier to produce than white since the introduction of phenolic compounds (compounds that contribute to color and tannins) adds an additional layer of complexity to balance.

Still, some boxed wines deliver the complexity and deliciousness of a standard bottle. To help you choose the best boxed red wines, we tasted 15 side-by-side, sight unseen. Our winners were clear and unanimous. 

How we selected the boxes

We sourced 15 boxed red wines that are easily findable at major wine retailers, or can be ordered online. The boxes came in a range of sizes and packaging styles. For brands that carry multiple red grape varieties or blends, we opted for the brand’s most popular offering. These were predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon and red blends, with a few boxed wine wildcards like Syrah. While the styles of the wines ranged, the majority were medium- to full-bodied with ripe fruit flavors.

How we tested

Six Food & Wine editors participated in the red boxed wine taste test, most of whom have professional experience in wine. Each wine was stored in the Food & Wine wine room at cellar temperature (approximately 55°F) in advance of the tasting. The wines were decanted from the boxes into cups. Each cup was labeled with a number to ensure brand anonymity. The wine’s color was visible during the tasting and could be evaluated as part of the editors’ notes. 

We asked our tasters to score each red boxed wine based on the following criteria: smell (we looked for a pleasant, enticing aroma characteristic of any quality red wine); the flavor of the wine (noting acrid, artificial, or astringent notes on the palate); and the overall balance of the wine (were the acid, body, and alcohol present in the wine harmonious?). 

Best Overall: Nomadica California Red

This balanced red blend was the clear winner of our taste test. Our editors praised the somewhat surprising blend of 93% Teroldego (a deeply colored red grape grown primarily in Italy’s northernmost wine region of Alto Adige) and 7% Malbec for its structured tannins and complex black cherry, blackberry, and plum notes. They also detected distinctive pepper and clove spiced notes. 

“If you want a not-overly-fruit-forward, but more classical red, this should be your go-to,” said editorial director Dylan Garret. 

This wine is sold in a three-liter box equivalent to four standard wine bottles, and the brand also offers a 100% Teroldego canned wine with a similar flavor profile. Nomadica’s embrace of lightweight, nontraditional packaging is a part of its commitment to sustainability. The producer has even optimized the amount of colored ink used on its boxes to ensure the cardboard meets recycling standards everywhere. 

Best Cabernet: Juliet Cabernet Sauvignon 

Juliet’s brightly colored, cylindrical packaging with a convenient woven carrying string makes its boxed wines pop on any shelf. In this sight-unseen tasting, though, it was the wine’s classically Cabernet Sauvignon tannins, dark berry fruit, and subtle vanilla aromas that stole the show. 

Drinks assistant Fernanda Gonzalez Blanco Serrano complimented the wine’s prominent cherry aromas and ripe, round fruit character — typical of a Central Coast Cabernet like this one. 

Best widely available pick: Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon 

A stalwart in the boxed wine aisle of Costcos, liquor stores, and grocery chains around the United States, Black Box is a classic for a reason. Its California Chardonnay was the highest rated Chardonnay from our white wine taste test, and its Cabernet Sauvignon was a standout, too. 

Expect a fruit-forward red with subtle baking spice notes. While a bit lighter-bodied than standard Cabernet Sauvignons, this quaffable wine earned strong scores from all our tasters and could even be served slightly chilled.

The full list of contenders, ranked highest to lowest 

1. Nomadica Red
2. Juliet Cabernet Sauvignon
3. Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon
4. Bota Box Cabernet Sauvignon
5. Gratsi Red
6. Really Good Boxed Wine Cabernet Sauvignon
7. Barefoot On Tap Cabernet Sauvignon
8. House Wine Original Red Blend
9. Bota Box RedVolution
10. Bandit Cabernet Sauvignon
11. Medly Wine Co. French Red
12. Franzia Cabernet Sauvignon
13. Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso
14. Ami Ami Vin Rouge
15. Alileo Syrah