This Is The Absolute Best Way To Chill Boxed Wine

They've enjoyed a recent surge in popularity, but boxed wines have been kicking around for a lot longer than you might think. Fox News reports that boxed wines were originally produced in Australia back in the 1930s, with Australian winery Penfolds designing the earliest version of modern-day interior packaging in the '60s — a bag with a pouring nozzle to prevent oxygen exposure.

Though boxed wines have been ostracized for poor quality in the past, in recent years, they have seen a dramatic change in consumer perception, and by 2019, boxed wines topped growth sales charts (via Beverage Dynamics). It's easy to see why they've become a hit with customers: Thanks to that aforementioned packaging innovation, boxes can keep wine fresh for weeks rather than days (a decided downside of bottles), all while offering better value, less environmental impact, and undeniable convenience.

However, boxed-wine drinkers should keep one caveat in mind. Because they usually contain more volume than, say, bottles or cans, they do require a bit of extra time to reach the proper temperature for serving (via PureWow).

As Food & Wine explains, boxed wines can contain 3 liters of vino, or the equivalent of four 750-milliliter bottles. So, while you can achieve a thorough chill in two hours or less for your average bottle, a 3-liter box should be allowed at least three hours to cool off in the fridge.

After opening, it's also best to keep boxed wine in the fridge, because those lower temperatures "slow down the chemical reactions associated with spoilage," according to The Globe and Mail. In fact, a taste-testing panel found that, though room-temperature conditions will accelerate the aging process for any wine, boxed varieties suffered the most in terms of flavor, even if they were kept out of the fridge for less time (via Cosmopolitan).

But, if you're in the mood to enjoy your wine alfresco (without running back and forth to the fridge), you can remove the bag of wine from the outer box packaging and position it in an ice water-filled bucket. Just make sure there are no sharp pieces of ice that can poke through the bag — because compromising 3 liters of wine via one hasty placement would be a serious buzzkill.