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When you think of boxed wines, you’re more likely to imagine a sickly-sweet, syrupy white blend than a sophisticated, sippable fruity red or dry rosé. But Gratsi is not the faux-French brand of your college days. This direct-to-consumer wine company produces delicious boxes of red, white, and rosé in Washington state that contain zero sugar, are more sustainable than wines kept in heavy glass bottles, and don’t disappoint in the flavor department. I tested each varietal of Gratsi wine (someone had to!) to let you know if they live up to the promises.
We like
- The wines are tasty and complex
- The boxes are easy to transport and shatter-proof
- Recyclable cardboard boxes are more sustainable than glass wine bottles
- Each box holds four standard bottles of wine
- The wines are made with zero sugar
We don't like
- Gratsi only offers three wines: a white, red, and rosé
- The boxes take up space in the fridge after they're opened
Boxes For Good
One thing about the wine industry that’s not discussed enough is how resource-intensive thick-walled glass bottles are. Often, pricier wines are packaged in bigger, more bottom-heavy bottles for the purpose of feeling more substantial and expensive. But in reality, you’re paying for all that glass. Plus, producing bottles requires significant energy and water. Then there’s the issue of disposing of all the waste once you’ve emptied the bottles.
Gratsi offers a more sustainable solution to the issues of bottles. Each cardboard box holds four standard bottles of wine, so there’s significantly less packaging per bottle. The cardboard is also made from recycled materials and is recyclable after your last sip of vino.
Gratsi wine is vacuum-sealed in a bag inside the box so it stays fresh and maintains its flavor for up to 30 days after opening, so there’s no more pouring that leftover half bottle down the drain. I tested Gratsi’s claims of freshness by slowly making my way through a box of refrigerated white. The flavor remained crisp and unchanged for several weeks.
Quality Ingredients Make Great Wine
Aside from sustainability, Gratsi wines are also highly drinkable (which is essential, since you start with 3,000 milliliters). The brand doesn’t own vineyards. Instead, Gratsi partners with growers in the Columbia River and Yakima Valleys of Washington state to source its grapes. The grapes are blended to achieve a smooth, well-rounded flavor profile that I’d happily drink on repeat.
The wines aren’t necessarily show-stoppers or palate-busters in the flavor department, but they’re well-balanced and not overly sweet, so you can enjoy several glasses without facing a headache the next morning. Each glass contains no more than 0.05 grams of sugar and the brand uses a minimal amount of sulfites purely for packaging purposes. The white is unoaked and the red is minimally oaked, but I detected very little oaky flavor.
Across the board, Gratsi wines have clean, crisp flavors that are easy to pair with food or sip solo. The red is fruity and light–this isn’t a full-bodied Sonoma Cabernet–it’s a minorly tannic red that pairs well with a charcuterie plate, a casual burger, or a savory red sauced pasta.
Gratsi’s white is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay grapes. It has a crisp, clean, slightly acidic flavor that’s a touch fruity. I enjoyed it chilled on a hot summer afternoon, and it’s highly drinkable with a meal, especially grilled seafood or a Mediterranean feast.
The rosé is blissfully dry–I can’t stand a cloying berry-flavored rosé. Gratsi’s has a touch of juicy strawberry notes balanced with herbaceousness and minerality.
Gratsi Wines check several important boxes when it comes to choosing great wine. Each of the three varietals–white, red, and rosé–is well-balanced, flavorful, and dry. I agree with many reviewers on the Gratsi website that these wines don’t leave you with a sugar-induced hangover in the morning, even if you have one too many. In addition to being lighter and more sustainable, the cardboard packaging and BPA-free bag keep the wines fresh for a month–that’s a major win in my book since I hate to pour three-day-old wine down the drain mid-week. If you’re looking for a new go-to table wine that’s budget-friendly and crowd-pleasing, you can’t go wrong with a box of Gratsi, or three.
SHOP GRATSI HERE
