What's up with my boxed white wine?

November 12, 2021 1:41 PM

My boxed white wines are going bad right away or very soon. WHY? More details inside:

In the Before Times, I used to buy boxes of white and red wines, keeping them in the fridge for 1-3 months. Usually, they would go bad after around 6 weeks, if we didn't finish them. By "bad" I mean a bitter, nasty taste.

Recently I purchased a brand I've had before, chilled it, took a first sip, it was bad. I exchanged it at the store for another box; that box stayed "good" for a day, then went bad. I tried a NEW brand of white that was "bad" right away, but the red of that same brand hasn't had problems.

* We moved a few months ago, we have a new fridge. It's next to the stove but seems to keep all our products cold and fresh.
* Our new place is kept at 68 degrees, 65 at night.
* I've had no problems with RED wine in boxes under the same circumstances, or from bottles of red (which we don't chill). I don't think we've chilled a bottle of white yet, but we're trying tonight.
* I've noticed no difference in cocktail, tea, or water tastes, so I don't think it's the new dishwasher detergent? White is also nasty in plastic cups.
* I've noticed no difference in vermouth / sherry tastes from bottles stored in the fridge door, but I usually drink them in cocktails.
* My spouse also tastes this.
* I'm tasting them within a week of purchasing them.

Is this just something weird from the supply chain? Am I really unlucky? Are other people having this problem?

Brands: Top Box Chardonnay (a bad one, an exchanged one that went bad); Vignes des Lumieres Cotes du Rhone White 2019 (the red of that brand is fine).

posted by Hypatia to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

The thing that makes wine go bad once opened is oxidation, caused by contact between the wine and oxygen from the air. Boxed wine tends to stay good because there is no path for air to enter the bladder that stores the wine. Can you think of any way that air could be getting in? One thing that occurs to me is that the little stopper by the spout could be remaining in the up, "open" position, but even so the valve should be stopping the flow of air if it's stopping the flow of wine out the other way...
posted by goingonit at 1:49 PM on November 12, 2021 [2 favorites]

If you moved, are you buying the wine from the same store you were before? I wonder if there's something different going on in how they're being stored or handled before they get to you, maybe they're being more bashed up which is damaging the packaging and allowing air in. Or maybe the store is selling you older boxes which aren't as fresh as you thought.

Are you storing them within the fridge in the same way? Lying down or standing up?

You could also put a thermometer in the fridge just to check it's as cold as you think.
posted by fight or flight at 1:56 PM on November 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

Given the global supply chain challenges, I wouldn't be shocked if some material or component used in the packaging has changed for the worse, and is not keeping air out as well.
posted by primethyme at 1:56 PM on November 12, 2021 [3 favorites]

Something must be wrong with the packaging, and I would just go straight to assuming it's a supply chain problem. Packaging supplies have been screwed up throughout the pandemic.
posted by HotToddy at 4:12 PM on November 12, 2021 [2 favorites]

I would suspect it's more about supply chain problems than a change of packaging. No wine manufacturer wants to sell undrinkable wine no one will buy so they will check their packaging carefully. But being warm, or simply just taking much longer to reach their destination, would certainly age the wine.

That goes double if you buy from a different retailer, who might well buy from a different wholesaler,
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 4:17 PM on November 12, 2021

You could try taking some out of the box and sealing it something with as little air as possible.

(a baggie?)

Then when the box goes bad see if the other sample has too.

I once had a fridge (really the freezer section) that would give everything an odd, off taste and smell but it was very old and the smell seemed like it was of some kind of polymer decay.
posted by snuffleupagus at 11:00 PM on November 12, 2021

Try giving the box a gentle shake before each pour? If the wine didn't clarify properly, it will settle out, and you'll get some solids at the bottom of the container. Maybe there's a shortage on fining agents like bentonite or isinglass? Giving it a gentle shake would at least mix up and homogenize the contents somewhat.

As others have said, the advantage of the box wine is the bladder inside is oxygen-free from the factory. It's either totally filled with wine with no air gap, or the gap is purged with nitrogen. When deployed as intended, with the spout at the bottom, a pour will release some of the wine, but closing the valve will re-seal it, allowing no air to enter. If the box is on its back or upside down while the valve is opened, there's no liquid there and air could enter, allowing oxidation to start.

If you're sure that hasn't been done since it was first opened, i'd open the cardboard box and examine the bladder inside carefully. Are there any leaks or openings, perhaps at the top? Any other way air might be getting in?

If it was improperly warehoused, stored at a high temperature, or old, I'd think it'd be bad from the first glass.

As a data point, I bought a couple boxes of white and blush Franzia recently for a weekend getaway with friends, and they're both fine, even a week after opening. Well within the use-by dates on the box.
posted by xedrik at 7:32 AM on November 13, 2021 [1 favorite]