A new wine supplier is hoping to take boxed wine upmarket with premium three-litre packs.

Inspired Wines has launched a 19-strong premium boxed range priced from £23.95 to £29.95 that covers nine major grape varieties including pinot grigio, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon.

The boxes held the equivalent of four standard bottles priced between £5 and £7 but had an 80% lower carbon footprint, the company claimed. The range is divided into sub-brands including the Big House range of octagonal boxes, which feature colourful cartoons and names including Cardinal Zin, Unchained Naked Chardonnay and The Birdman.

The wine boxes made their retail debut last month and Inspired is in discussions with Ocado, independents and high street retailers regarding listings.

The UK bag-in-box market was ‘negligible’ and duty hikes were forcing retailers and bigger producers to switch to smaller 2.25l boxes, said Inspired sales and marketing director Jonny Hurst. “That is down-trading shoppers and is creating a cash loss for the market,” he said.

“As a small business, we can be more agile and by not actively targeting retailers such as Tesco and Asda we can maintain a sensible price point. Our strategy is about sampling and getting it into people’s hands - not about discounting.”

In 2009, Constellation Europe rolled out brands including Hardys Nottage Hill and Banrock Station in the FreshCase range of 2.25l boxes in a bid to add a touch of class to the boxed wine category.

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