Wine from a box? Best served, no doubt, with cheese sprayed from a can. In times past, wine dispensed from a box was as gauche as it got, the libationary equivalent, perhaps, of the frost-bitten TV dinner. But times have changed! Thanks to a few wineries with modern sensibilities, we now have some very nice wines sold in boxed form. Consider the lovely Black Box chardonnay, Trove's pleasant Merlot, and an increasingly promising selection of Australian wines available in boxed form. Most of these wines sell for less than $25 a box and each holds the equivalent of four bottles of wine. In addition, once opened, the package design prevents the wine from being exposed to air, which results in its remaining fresh for at least a month after opening-far longer than would be the case with a bottle of wine.

A nice perk-the boxed wines are convenient for taking along on picnics and camping trips and don't require openers, a feature some marketing personnel are capitalizing on in their advertising strategies. Also, the boxes fit nicely into the refrigerator and don't take up nearly the room that four separate bottles would. Admittedly, they do lack a certain charm at the table, but a pretty carafe might be just the thing here! Also, attractive dispensers that hold the box are available online from outfits in Europe, where quality boxed wines have been available and popular for some time.

If you recall the boxed wines of yesteryear as syrupy-sweet "zinfandel-flavored" products that provoke involuntary shudders, it may be time for you to think inside the box. Be sure to ask your local wine merchant for a recommendation. Next . . . Squeeze Brie?

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