We buy more wine from a box: “Not just for alcoholics anymore”

Six to seven million liters. They currently sell that much wine from the so-called bag-in-box at Delhaize every year. “That is no less than 45 percent of our total wine sales,” says spokesperson Roel Dekelver. “Since 2020, we have seen a double-digit percentage increase in this packaging every year.” At Colruyt they confirm the trend. “We also see volumes increasing,” says spokeswoman Eva Biltereyst. “This now accounts for a third of our total wine sales.”

And that for wine that had a bad image, especially in the early years. Delhaize started with it in 2000. “The supply was still very limited at that time,” says Dekelver. “And the quality of the few boxes that were on the market at the time was above all substandard,” adds wine expert Alain Bloeykens. “I remember how I worked for it in those early years Newspaper made a special around those wines. The headline was: ‘Only for alcoholics’. Because they were really undrinkable. The difference with bottled wine was very big.”

“That has become a different story today. The range is much larger and the quality has also increased significantly,” says Bloeykens. “I did tests comparing the same wine from the box and from the bottle. There was no difference. Good wine castles no longer hesitate to offer their wine in boxes. Of course I’m not talking about Petrus or anything like that, but the standard references in terms of supermarket wines are now also in the box. And that contributes to success. The trend has been going on for several years, but for a long time it was a seasonal product: for spring and summer. Rosé from a box at the barbecue. Now those boxes are bought all year round. Although the peak of sales is still in spring and summer and white and rosé are still the most popular.”

Longer expiration date

In addition to more quality and a larger selection, there are a few other things that make it popular, according to Bloeykens. “The price. The same wine is always slightly cheaper in a box.” Which is right. For example, the Rosé Gris Languedoc Roussillon at Delhaize costs 5.32 euros per liter in a bottle and 4.66 euros per liter in a 3-liter box. That is 12.5 percent less. “On average, a bag-in-box of 3 or 2.25 liters is even about twenty percent cheaper,” says Dekelver.

“The shelf life is also an advantage,” says Bloeykens. “Once opened, the wine will keep for quite a while. Most boxes say six to eight weeks, some manufacturers even claim twelve weeks. That’s too much. We have already tested that too. After a week or two the best part is gone. But that in itself is already a long time.”

Extra glass

Bloeykens does see one small disadvantage. “For the consumer anyway, because it is an advantage for sales. Unlike a bottle, you cannot see how much is already out of such a box. It’s much easier to pour an extra glass and suddenly realize: oops, that box is already empty. Many will know that feeling.”