How Many Glasses Of Wine Can You Get Out Of One Box?

The next time you're hosting or attending a gathering, there's an argument to be made for choosing boxed wine over bottled. Boxed wine allows you to serve more people, often at a fraction of the price. A standard bottle of wine holds 750 milliliters, or ¾ of a liter, while boxes typically contain 3 liters. There are several brands of boxed wine that sell for around $20, so you'll get a good bang for your buck. Most people know that boxes hold more wine than bottles, but just how many glasses can you get out of one box of wine?

A standard glass of wine is 5 ounces, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Since boxes usually hold 3 liters — or about 101 ounces — that means you can get about 20 glasses of wine per box. If you opt for a 5-liter box, you'll get about 169 ounces, which amounts to nearly 34 glasses of wine. Standard wine bottles, by contrast, hold about five glasses of wine. 

If you still need convincing that boxed wine is the better value, a 3-liter box of wine is equivalent to 3.75 bottles while a 5-liter box is equal to 6.25 bottles. Boxed wine is versatile too; it can be enjoyed on its own, or mixed into a delicious boxed wine cocktail. 

If you're planning to serve boxed wine at a gathering, consider how many guests you expect to imbibe. Once you have an estimate of how many guests will be drinking, make an educated guess how many glasses they might want. For example, if you expect 10 guests to have two glasses of wine each, one 3-liter box of wine (20 glasses) might be just enough, or you might decide to go for two 3-liter boxes (40 glasses) or one 5-liter box (34 glasses) to be on the safe side.

Something else to consider is that you might want to pour glasses that are bigger than the standard 5 ounces. If you like a more generous pour, be prepared for the box to run out faster than you might've anticipated. If everyone at your event helps themselves to 7 ounces of wine, that's only about 14 glasses.

If you're feeling unsure about how much boxed wine to buy for your event, consider erring on the side of caution and buying one more box than you think you might need. One great thing about boxed wine is that it lasts longer than a bottle does after being opened. If you have a lot left over at the end of the evening, you can store an open box of wine in the fridge for up to six weeks.