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Are expensive boxed wines actually worth it, or is it all just marketing hype? I put 17 different boxed wines through the ultimate test – a bracket-style blind tasting tournament ranging from $15 budget boxes all the way up to $100 premium options. The results absolutely blew my mind, especially when I discovered which wine actually won and how much it cost.
I’m Dustin, and I’ve tasted thousands of wines—my mission is to make wine accessible and fun for everyone by cutting through the snobbery and complication with honest, helpful reviews for non-wine people.
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🍷 Sommelier Ranked Every Costco Wine (Ultimate Costco Wine Tier List) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkfkgLQJnMg
🍷 I Rank Every Red Italian Wine at Trader Joe’s (There Were 23!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24-npw_9SPo&t=480s
🍷 I Took On 21 Bottles of Trader Joe’s Pinot Noir in One Sitting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKhsSc4lx4s&t=203s
🍷 How I wish ORDERING WINE was explained to me as a beginner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSxtx0vux4I&t=22s
🍷 Sommelier Ranked $400 of Trader Joe’s Bordeaux Wine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKaousRwylg
🍷 I Tested Costco vs. Trader Joe’s Cabernet Sauvignon: Which One Is Best? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qvuj5zlhWE&t=5s
🍷 Is a $300 Champagne Really Worth It? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i4s-ZD1mdk&t=782s
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00:00:00 Intro
00:00:34 The 3 Waves of Boxed Wine History
00:02:01 Tournament Setup
00:02:50 Round 1 – Nomadica Red | California | Third Wave | $50 vs Costco Cabernet Sauvignon | California | Second Wave
00:03:58 Round 1 – Franzia Chillable Red | California | First Wave vs Black Box Merlot | California | Second Wave
00:05:03 Round 1 – Barefoot Sauvignon Blanc | California | First Wave vs Franzia White Zinfandel | California | First Wave
00:06:46 Round 1 – Tablas Creek GSM Blend | California | Third Wave | $100 vs Costco Pinot Grigio | California | Second Wave
00:07:39 Round 1 – Bota Box Pinot Grigio | California | Second Wave vs Black Box Chardonnay | California | Second Wave
00:09:08 Round 1 – Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon | California | First Wave vs Franzia Chardonnay | California | First Wave
00:11:06 Round 1 – Bota Box Nighthawk Red Blend | California | Second Wave vs Woodbridge Pinot Noir | California | First Wave
00:12:13 Round 1 – Woodbridge Chardonnay | California | First Wave vs Nomadica Red | California | Third Wave $50
00:13:03 Round 1 – Nomadica White | California | Third Wave | $50 vs Franzia Cabernet Sauvignon | California | First Wave
—————–
00:14:21 Round 2 – Franzia Chillable Red | California | First Wave vs Franzia White Zinfandel | California | First Wave
00:15:05 Round 2 – Tablas Creek GSM Blend | California | Third Wave | $100 vs Bota Box Pinot Grigio | California | Second Wave
00:15:54 Round 2 – Franzia Chardonnay | California | First Wave vs Bota Box Nighthawk Red Blend | California | Second Wave
00:17:16 Round 2 – Nomadica Red | California | Third Wave | $50 vs Franzia Cabernet Sauvignon | California | First Wave
——————
00:18:53 Round 3 – Franzia Chillable Red | California | First Wave vs Tablas Creek GSM Blend | California | Third Wave | $100
00:19:58 Round 3 – Bota Box Nighthawk Red Blend | California | Second Wave vs Franzia Cabernet Sauvignon | California | First Wave
00:20:59 FINAL ROUND
—————————————————————–
34 Comments
Thank you for sacrificing yourself
😬
One of us had to do it… 😂
Oh wow, I had no idea there were actually good boxed wines — I always just assumed that glass bottles meant better quality. Once again, such an interesting video. You really are the rock star of sommeliers!
For me,I like to explore so much that I wouldn't want that much of even my favorite wines..
I have bought the tablas creek and for the money I would rather drink a bogle essential red for $9. Box wine overall is still completely overrated
Shame about barefoot because some of their wines are pretty good in bottles
Holy crap!! Franzia? Really, lol
such an interesting video, I had no idea about boxed wines
Dropping $100 on a box wine id rather just get a few bottles no?
Edit: Nvmd, 3L makes more sense
Us Aussies have got at least one invention to be proud of.
Faint old dirty raisin 😂😂😂 old CVS bags with street gravy. Your descriptions…honestly I get them😆
I have never seen anyone do a boxed wine review.
Great video! And you picked Franzia cab over the $50 Nomadica red! 😱 I was worried it may win over all😂
Now you know I have to go buy Franzia cab!!
I prefer boxed wines for environmental reasons, but I've noticed a lot of variety among the varietals (sorry). I like Bota Box Sauvignon Blanc, but don't like the Bota Box Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay. The two places boxed wines, in general, let you down are acid balance and ABV. There's usually a lot less alcohol and acidity in boxed wine than there is in bottled wine, perhaps to avoid leaching flavor from the plastic liner, so you don't have much of anything to balance the sugar. They're sweeter and less complex. But, like the $16 Franzia, that doesn't always make it terrible. Also, for cooking, that $4/500mL juice box wine wins every time.
What a fun video! I'm surprised by how well the Franzia Cabernet Sauvignon did! Tablas Creek is a lovely wine, not surprised they won. Apparently, Sandy Giovese also makes a nice boxed wine and not at $100/box.
hi! love this video! just want to say, when you say 'street g…' at around 4:53ish, youre saying an asian slur! peace and love, would really appreciate this rectified
Yay more torture video
Great video…… soooo entertaining!!!
I got some Franzia back in the 90s. Easily the worst wine I ever had.
Can we get some reviews on different countries like sparking from England/Spain or less popular grapes like Timorasso, Nerello Mascalese, Carignan?
Sandy Giovese is actually pretty good!
I watched a few of these videos to watch a bozo not say a positive word about anything but at the same time to have the smug essence to throw around words like “sophistication” or “complexity”. This guy should stick to his Thursday night pokemon league and leave the wine testing to people who aren’t trying to go viral.
Paid for by Franzia.
My Dad use to drink gallons of boxed wine from CA. I believe the best was Almaden Cab. Most of the time it was piss poor but every once in a while you got a good lot and the wine was pretty good.
Another great video. Every one of your video contains a phrase that I hope to never hear from my Sommelier, this one it's "…that wine will embalm your insides."
Dustin Timberlake; Justin’s Sommelier Brother.
So I picked up a box of the Franzia Cabernet Sauvignon at Total Wine today. Very high acidity. It's drinkable, if you don't have any alternatives. I won't feel bad pouring it out given the low price. Very interesting video. Big fan of Tablas Creek wines so not surprised their boxed offering did well.
Hi Dustin,
I’m a big wine nerd, I follow Konstantin Baum, No sediments and Matthew Horkey. I think you have potential, but I would recommend two things:
1. Spit most of the wines. Otherwise, when drinking a lot of wines, your palate will definitely change when you become drunk and it changes your views.
2. Vary the glasses. Big bowls help with certain wines. I’ve had odorless wines that were very surprising in burgundy glasses.
3. I understand most cheap wines are bad, but you should do a summary at the end. If the 8$ wine gets C+ and the 30$ wine gets B, in the end the C+ at 8$ is potentially the best buy for most people.
Excited to see you taste more stuff. You should add some value wines from wine stores in the blind taste.
Okay, three things, 1. I laughed so hard watching this! Great video 😂 2. I am concerned about your hangover after filming this video, and 3. In my opinion the best use of boxed wine is camping (especially canoe access camping!)
Putridity
FODR, from wootang, faint old dirty raisin
I guess my partner having a glass of Franzia CS as a nightcap isn't so far off the mark (for the money).
Come back and do flight of 6 or 7 top selling box whites (or Chardonnay) and the same for reds (or CS).
I just moved into a 55+ community. It smells fine.
Yes the good old “goon bag”. In general though I’d say we had in fact put some poor/average wines in them years ago, a lotta times for cooking purposes. However these days (atleast down under) there does seem to be some decent wines going in and tbh not much if at all cheaper than the equivalent in the bottle 🤨
Ofcourse the idea/advantage is the wine doesn’t spoil as you dispense it.
Poor people are now drinking wine, lol
Funny and informative as always. Sorry you didn't/couldn't sample the Bedrock box, as Bedrock is one of my favorite wineries. Maybe next time?
Great video with a shocking runner-up. A very good boxed wine I have been buying lately is Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso, made in Italy. It is $37.99 at Central Market in Austin TX. I would love to see it go up against the Tablas Creek.