The best boxed wine for the summer ahead, from full-bodied reds to crisp rosé

If you’re not yet sold that the best boxed wine can actually be pretty damn delicious (and potentially even more so some of our favourite bottles), well, be prepared to be fully converted. No longer a poor cousin to its glass-housed competitor, boxed wine has had a glow up in recent years – and we predict it becoming the drink of the summer. Yes, even for palettes that have been refined by multiple wine subscription deliveries to make those darker winter nights back in January that little bit more enjoyable.

After months of cold weather, we are all more than ready to for the sun and some al fresco picnics  and barbecues in our gardens – both of which pair perfectly with a delicious boxed wine. Instead of carting multiple, breakable wine bottles along with you, wine boxes are an outdoor-friendly alternative. Plus, with some holding up to 5 litres of delicious rosé/shiraz/chardonnay, they're big enough that you won't (horror!) run out and, you might be surprised to discover, they'll actually stay fresh longer than their bottled counterparts. Who knew?

The best beer subscription boxes for boozy picnics or a Father's Day gift

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Available to buy on many of our favourite alcohol delivery sites, another reason boxed wine is growing so quickly in popularity is that it’s a more sustainable option. Glass bottles may seem like the more eco-friendly choice, but green glass is actually pretty difficult to recycle in the UK - so the bottle or two you responsibly put in your recycling every week could be ending up in a landfill. Then there's the high carbon footprint around manufacturing and transporting bottled wine. Boxed wine on the other hand? Its packaging is fully recyclable, energy is saved in production and the carbon saving on shipping the relatively lightweight boxes is significant - not to mention the wine in each box can last up to 6 weeks, so there's no unnecessary waste. In other words, you can happily quaff down your evening glass or two from a box without any guilt.

If all of that isn’t enough to convert you, there’s the simple fact that many of the best boxed wine boxes are just as high quality as bottled wine. Whether you’re after a fruity white or a crisp rosé, respected winemakers from France to Italy are embracing wine in bag-in-a-box packaging. And so should you.