Counter Couture

You'd rather stay sober than be caught with a box of Franzia.

But there's a new boxed wine in town, and it's one that even the most serious oenophiles would proudly display.

Made of sustainably harvested wood from a forest in Bordeaux, the box--created by French importer Wineberry--holds four bottles' worth of Domaine Le Garrigon, an organic, biodynamic Côtes du Rhône red.

The wine is a fruity, silky Grenache-Syrah-Carignan blend that begs to accompany cured meats, cheeses and anything off the grill (think: picnic). And once open, it stays fresh for up to six weeks.

Wineberry now has six wood-boxed wines in its portfolio, all from small French wineries, all grower-produced. The vintners have embraced the case as a new frontier in freshness and convenience--not to mention a reduction in carbon footprint, because of the smaller shipping size.

And there's a reduction in price, too; the equation works out to four bottles for the price of three.

The Domaine Le Garrigon box hit Chicago last month; get it (for $67) at Provenance Food and Wine, where the bottled version is a best seller.

Local distributor Novovino has a second box in stock--the 2007 Bordeaux Château Moulin de la Roquille--that's not yet available on Chicago shelves. Head to your favorite wineshop, tell them you want to rock the box, and Novovino promises to deliver the goods the next day.