Best Boxed Wines to Get in For Christmas

It's been fantastic to see how far boxed wine has come. Gone are the days of it being student hangover juice because the technology has improved, and top producers now trust boxes to house their wine. Hooray!

If you’ve got people over, or you’re just fed up with throwing away leftover wine, then these boxes last for much longer, and they’re also a much greener way to package wine... and they work out cheaper per bottle! What’s not to like?

Best Boxed Red Wine

Banrock Station Shiraz Cabernet

This is a lovely box of dry Aussie Shiraz Cabernet, brimming with lofty, bright plum fruits and rich with dark chocolate, coffee, and a little spice on the finish. Not only that, but Banrock do great environmental work, planting 100,000 native trees every year.

Size: 2.25L
ABV: 11%
Find here: £19.50 (£6.50 per 750ml)

Terre di Faiano Rosso IGP Puglia Organic

This Italian red catches the eye with its gorgeous blue tube packaging, and the liquid inside doesn’t let it down. It’s super juicy and full-bodied, absolutely brimming with very ripe dark berries, fragrant vanilla, and cocoa dusted dried fruits. For a sweeter, flavoursome boxed red, this is fantastically easy drinking and also cheese-friendly – particularly the salty stuff.

Size: 2.25L
ABV: 11%
Find here: £22.39 (usually more!) (£7.47 per 750ml)

Laylo Lot #10 Malbec

Laylo probably make the best-looking boxed wines on the market, perfect for sprucing up a Christmas countertop. But this isn’t a display piece, what does the actual wine taste like? You normally associate Malbec with rich Argentinian bottles, or more disciplined French varieties, but this is Spanish! Soaking up all that heat, you get a silky smooth expression delighting with ripe plum, mulberries and blueberries, as well as the signature cocoa from Argentinian styles.

Size: 2.25L
ABV: 13%
Find here: £34.99 (£11.66 per 750ml)

Best Boxed White Wine

Sainsbury's Coolwater Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Taste the Difference

Rock solid New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc here, produced by Yealands Estate in the Awatere Valley. It’s refreshing and zesty with racy acidity and crisp mineral finish.  

Size: 2.25L
ABV: 12.5%
Find here: £20 (£10 per 750ml)

Soave Cantina di Soave

A very pleasant Italian white from the Veneto region, Soave overlaps with Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris, but with a bit more richness. In this case, there are hints of orchard fruits, bright citrus and a food-friendly dry, crisp quality that makes a great choice for Christmas grazing.

Size: 2.25L
ABV: 11.5%
Find here: £18.99 (£6.33 per 750ml)

Tállya Radicals Dry Furmint 2022

This classy number uses Furmint, the same grape used in the famous sweet Hungarian wine Tokaji. We’re seeing more and more Furmint wines on supermarket shelves and it’s great to see. This wine is dry, fruity, and mineral, with unique aromatics and hints of honey suckle and pear. The lick of lime coursing through is electrifying too. Start pouring it alongside the cheese boards and you’ll be in Christmas heaven.

Size: 2.25L
ABV: 13%
Find here: £43.32 (£14.44 per 750ml)

Best Boxed Rosé Wine

M&S La Dame En Rose

This is a top everyday Rosé from the Terres du Midi region of South France, with a pleasant bouquet of white flowers and palate teeming with red fruits. It’s a versatile, food-friendly wine that will do well alongside most fish, chicken and salads, so can serve as a steady go-to over the festive period.

Size: 1.5L
ABV: 12.5%
Find here: £16 (£8 per 750ml)

ASDA Extra Special Pinot Grigio Rose Boxed Wine

You might not be able to see it straight away but start pouring and the delightful ballet-shoe hue is so inviting. This Italian pink balances the key Rosé characteristics so well – the sweet red fruits, and the crisp dryness. It feels light on its feet, but has enough flavour and substance to stay interesting for the entire 3 bottles worth you get.

Size: 2.25L
ABV: 12%
Find here: £17.95 (£5.98 per 750ml)

These are perfect countertop wine boxes for guests to keep topping up with, but if you’re still on the hunt for special gifts, then you have to take a look at these unique bottles – they’re unforgettable presents.

The Best Boxed Wines For Christmas

Long gone is the reputation of boxed wines as vinegary hangover juice, so if you’re not already a convert then keep reading! Advancements in technology mean that the wine stays fresher for longer, and the knock-on effect is that decent wine producers are actually happy to trust the packaging. Boxed wine is also way greener to manufacture, transport and recycle, and last but not least, let’s not forget old trusty economies of scale, it's cheaper!

With Christmas around the corner, a boxed wine or two on the counter just makes things so much simpler. There’s no pressure to finish or open another bottle that might not get finished, you and your family can just help themselves, and if (big if), there’s any left at the end of the night, it can be popped in the fridge to stay fresh for weeks more. These days, the quality is top notch, and the boxes are so gorgeously designed they’re fit to be table centrepieces. Honestly, what’s not to like? So without further ado, here are some of our favourites that will definitely not disappoint.

Best Boxed Red Wine

Laylo Tinto de Estremoz

Laura and Laura (not a typo!) set up Laylo after being won over by all the benefits of boxed wine, but finding themselves disappointed in the lack of beauty in the box themselves. If bottles of wine can be stylish, why can’t the box? The Tinto de Estremoz design references the treasured stone that’s mined in the ‘marble city’ of Estremoz, including the prestigious Rosa Aurora marble. Inside, winemaking legend Donzilia Copeto has been trying to capture the perfect Portuguese Alentejo blend, and this bold and inky red is the result. Consisting of 5 local varietals and a dash of Merlot, this is full of juicy cherries and dark fruits, and velvet smooth tannins. Stunning inside and out!

Size: 2.25L
ABV: 14%
Find here: £36.99 Laylo

Terre di Faiano Organic Rosso

We’ve been banging on about this one for a while now, and for very good reason. Packaged like a chic Easter Egg, it’s a full-bodied blend of Negroamaro, Primitivo and Cabernet Sauvignon from Puglia. It’s juicy, figgy, plummy and organic as well as vegan! Silky smooth and towards the sweeter end, if you’re a fan of big, bold, chocolatey wine, this is for you. Pair it with hearty meats, stews and grilled veg and you’re on for a winning combination, so it’s ideal for those winter suppers going into the New Year!

Size: 2.25L
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £20.79 Waitrose (on offer till 29th Nov, usually £25.99)

BIB Wine Domaine Jean-Marc Astruc Fitou

We’ve been keeping an eye on the BIB Wine Company for a while because they’ve trailblazed the newfound popularity of luxury boxed wine. Their sleek and classy matt grey packaging with a changing artistic design has nailed it, and you’d be delighted to sit it on your countertop around Christmas. This high-end French blend from Languedoc is Southern France in a glass – it’s brambly, full of flavour and richly concentrated. Try it with a lamb roast if you’re part of the anti-turkey set!

Size: 2.25L
ABV: 14%
Find here: £36.20 The BIB Wine Co

Best Boxed White Wine

Tesco Australian Chardonnay

Value hunters stop here. Whilst this Chardonnay from the sunny vineyards of Southeast Australia might not blow you away, it is still wonderfully fruity, with ripe nectarines and juicy melons coming through. It’s an easy-drinking, soft white that provides unbeatable value for a laid-back Christmas. Get the tap flowing alongside the turkey or chicken Christmas roast because it’ll match nicely there!

Size: 2.25L
ABV: 12.5%
Find here: £13 Tesco

BIB Wine TR Dry Furmint

Furmint, sometimes called Mainak, is a grape most widely known for making the famous Hungarian sweet wine of Tokaji. Furmints are becoming quite the regular on supermarket shelves, so the festive season could be a great time to see what the fuss is about? This is a dry but refreshing wine, with subtle notes of honeysuckle and pear. It’s likely to be a little bit different to many whites you’ve tried before and it’s very easy to love indeed. We recommend cracking it open when the Christmas cheese board comes wafting through!

Size: 2.25L
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £39 The BIB Wine Co

When In Rome Grillo Organic DOC Sicilia

When in Rome are another company pushing the envelope when it comes to boxed wine. Their box is probably the easiest to recycle too! No prizes for guessing which country they specialise in, and it’s the lesser-known Italian grapes that they particularly focus on. Grillo is a summery Sicilian grape, giving great orange freshness and a rustic core. Bonus points for being organic too of course. A little (or large) glass of sunshine over the holidays.

Size: 2.25L
ABV: 12.5%
Find here: £25.99 When In Rome Wine (10% off if you subscribe to them!)

Best Boxed Rosé Wine

Nice Drinks Pale Rosé

This is a great option for the Rosé lovers over Christmas... and beyond, because the box stays fresh for 6 weeks after opening! How far technology has come. As the box says, this is a ‘proudly pale Rosé’, from Grenache grapes in the South of France. It’s dry, lively, crisp, and fresh, with a dried strawberry flavour. Yum!

Size: 2.25L
ABV: 12%
Find here: £21.50 Nice

These boxed wines would add to any Christmas table, and you know what else would? These special Boozy Christmas Crackers are just as stunning, and filled with not just wine, but beer, rum, gin and everything else!

Words by Calum Ecroyd