Game Box Wines - An Idea for Our Times?

Game Box Wines - An Idea for Our Times?

The new package from Game Box Wines features a sense of fun at every turn.

Remember when wine was fun and nothing more? For many of us, that was likely in our early days of discovery, before we bought wine according to score, prestige, investment value or what food it paired with. We just bought wine to try on the way out of the grocery store. And you know what? We enjoyed most of them.

I thought of those days, long ago for me, when I got an email about the introduction of a new box wine. Wait, wait, wait! Before you stop reading, give me another 10 seconds please - here's why I think the new Game Box Wines are good for our industry, and the right product for our current times:

  • It's the environment. Duh. - The #1 contributor to wine industry emmissions is the production and transportation of glass bottles. As much as I LOVE the tradition and romance and sound of a popping cork, the future belongs to alternative packaging such as boxed wines. The industry refers to them as "Bag-in-Box" (or BiB), as it's actually the mylar bag and the one-way valve that weighs just ~5% of a bottle.
  • Wine Preservation. - As with all boxed wine, the package protects a wine from oxidation for weeks instead of days. And it does it wihtout any expensive technology, gas cannisters that need replacing, or valuable counter space. And speaking of storage space, the box requires far less than the 4 bottles it contains.
A small sample of Game Box Wines' sense of fun, inspired by childhood cereal boxes. Click for more.
  • Fun. - When a wine doesn't take itself too seriously, it's more approachable. And that is key to attracting new fans. And Game Box achieves this in spades, with a box design inspired by childhood memories of fun cereal boxes. To get a taste of the humor just click the image, above.
  • Quality! - We're not talking about the Franzia crowd here. Or if we are, we're talking about the slice of that vast market who are ready for an upgraded wine experience. On the Quality-Price grid, I put Game Box in the same quadrant as Black Box Wines, which has fairly well dominated the space for over 20 years now. The wine inside the package is reportedly sourced from "quality grapes from appellations adjacent to Napa Valley", which I suspect to be Sonoma, Lake County (already a significant source of quality grapes used in Napa-designated wines, just below the 15% requirment), and perhaps including the lesser vineyards in Solano and Yolo counties.

Let's keep an eye on Game Box Wines. Of course, there are many hurdles between today and their eventual success in this hyper-competitive, insanely regulated industry. But I have a feeling the minds behind this new product will weather the storm.

Dave the Wine Merchant - Logo

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