What can you expect from a wine that comes in a jug or a box? Let's examine the quality of these wines.

Jug and box wines obviously refer to the container that they come in. Jug wines are the extra-large bottles you will find on the bottom shelf. Box wines are usually in their own section of wine.

They are usually made from lesser grapes and often do not list a grape variety. "Chillable Red" is an example of this type. Jug-wine producers from California borrowed famous names from Europe: Chablis, Rhine, Burgundy, Chianti, etc.

Most Americans are familiar with chablis (small "c") that comes in a jug or box. It's a light, inexpensive, inoffensive, slightly sweet, white wine sold in jugs or boxes. It has almost nothing to do with Chablis, France. Fine Chablis is counted among the world's best Chardonnays. These wines are labeled Chablis, not Chardonnay, to indicate the region and not the grapes.

The Burgundy region of France produces Pinot Noirs of great quality. This has nothing to do with California "burgundy" except color.

Rhine is a German wine region famous for its Rieslings--flowery, off-dry, and complex. California "rhine" is sweet and white.

The similarities in names can cause for confusion. When wine drinkers used to jug wines hear the great names of European wine they often equate it with these pale name sakes. The mass-produced, generic wine in a box has nothing to do with the great wine making traditions.

Bulk wines are not always bad. They are made to be inexpensive and pleasing to a large population. They can be a good value when you need a simple, bulk, party wine. Hardy's Shiraz is an example of a winery putting their mid-range varietals in a box.