(Forbes) - Before you dismiss the idea of boxed wines as a tasteless (on many levels) suggestion, consider this: boxed wine stays fresh a minimum of four weeks, it’s shatter-proof, portable, will never have cork taint, and is more environmentally conscious. In fact the total energy used to produce one box or tetra pack is about 1/3 the energy required to produce a glass bottle, leaving a carbon footprint one-half the size that of a wine bottle. Feeling virtuous about your consumption is a nice perk, but what really matters at the end of the day is taste. There’s good news on this front as well: boxed wines have come a long way since the el cheapo days.