WHEN it comes to wine, it might be time to think outside the box if you want value for money.
When you think boxed wine, you probably assume the booze inside is just a lesser version of its bottled counterpart.
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But some wine experts say boxed wine is making a comeback – and there are some top quality options.
John Callow, 37, is an independent certified wine educator and founder of the Northern Wine School based in Manchester.
He said: “Bag in box wines have seen a resurgence in the last couple of years.
“No longer simply cheap and generic, you can now find a whole range of countries and grape varieties in supermarkets and online and the quality has never been higher.”
The Sun picked John’s brains to find out the best supermarket boxed wines on offer this summer.
We also worked out how much you could save over nine weeks in July and August by swapping the bottled versions for the cheaper boxes.
We compared the price of buying three bottles a week, with the price of buying one box a week and did this for every one of John’s recommendations. You could save up to £45 by making this swap.
White
John says shoppers have a couple of options when it comes to choosing the best white wine in a box.
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Aldi’s Baron Amarillo Sauvignon Blanc is a Spanish wine and comes in at £12.49 for a 2.25l box.
“This is a decent Sauvignon Blanc in a box,” John said.
“It has all the right refreshing grassy, citrussy tang character.”
A 750ml bottle would normally cost you £4.99, meaning you could save £22.32 by buying the box.
Alternatively, Waitrose sells a 2.25l Italian Soave Cantina di Soave for £16.99.
John says this wine is “crisp, delicate and floral.”
He added: “It has pleasing flavours of ripe apple, citrus and stone fruit.”
A 750ml bottle of the same wine is usually priced between £6 and £7, according to John. This means you could save up to £18.09.
Rosé
If rosé is more your thing, there’s one wine that stands out above the rest, according to John.
He said: “Asda’s Italian Blush is a nice, crisps quenching rosé with notes of citrus and crunch red berries.
“It would go with canapés, cheese and a charcuterie board.”
Asda’s box costs £13.25 for 2.25l, rather than £4.99 for a single 750ml bottle. This is a saving of £15.48 over nine weeks.
Red
Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s have some great options when it comes to boxed wine, John says.
All three supermarkets sell 2.25l bags of Porta 6 Red wine from Lisboa, Portugal for £19.
John says: “Portugal has a wealth of flavourful native black grape varieties which make tasty blends.
“This has soft, spicy ripe and jammy red and black fruits, but with a refreshing finish that doesn’t make it too heavy like some boxed reds.”
A bottle would usually cost between £7 and £8, meaning you could save up to £45 by buying a box instead.
Morrisons also sells a 2.25l Chilean malbec for £13.50, which John describes as “bold and fruity”.
He added: “This number is full of ripe plum and blueberry notes.
“It’s moreish, going down all too easily. You’ll be reluctant to spare any of this when you’re cooking.”
With a bottle costing £4.99, you could save £13.23 by buying the box.
How can I save on my supermarket shop?
It’s not just about heading to the cheapest supermarket to save money on your shop.
There’s a number of ways you can cut costs and drive down your grocery bills.
Making a list before you head out to do your food shopping is always a good start as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases.
Buying supermarkets’ own-brand goods instead of higher end well-known brands could save you a few pounds too.
Some supermarkets run “wonky” veg schemes, where you pay less for fresh produce that’s misshapen or imperfect.
Lidl, for example, has its Waste Not scheme where you can get a whopping five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50.
Checking how much a product costs based on quantity could save you some money.
You might be tempted to opt for a bigger box or packaging because you think you will get more.
But you should always check the price per kg/lb/litre so you’re making a like-for-like decision.
A lot of supermarkets run loyalty schemes, where you can build up points to spend on a later shop.
For example, Sainsbury’s has its Nectar Card and Tesco has its Clubcard.
Plus, look out for yellow or red stickers on food products that show they’ve been reduced.
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