It's time, my friends, to think inside the box.

Yes, there are more opportunities than ever for consumers to experiment with tasty wines from Uruguay, India or Slovenia, or with untold numbers of exotic varietals with unpronounceable names.

But the same forces that have brought about this dizzying cornucopia of options--globalization, technology and improved winemaking techniques--have transformed boxed wine from object of derision to a viable choice for all but the haughtiest of oenophiles.

Europeans have embraced boxed wines for years, and the Aussies even more so: About 50 percent of sales Down Under come from what they call "cask" wines.

Americans have been slower to embrace these vessels, but sales of 3-liter boxes increased by more than 250 percent over the past four years. (The stuff sold in 5-liter boxes, by the way, is still generally pretty dicey.)

Black Box and Hardy's Stamp have been providing decent-to-very-good juice in boxes for years now, with the former even popping up in local restaurants. A wine-loving colleague has vouched for the Delicato Bota Box chardonnay.

More recently a container called the Tetra Pak--long associated with unfermented fruit juices--has rapidly gained favor. I've been enjoying Three Thieves' wines and Heath Wine Lizard Flat's jammy shiraz and chardonnay, left, (which tastes more like a lush sauvignon blanc) in these containers, despite the occasional sensation that there ought to be a straw involved.

The wines are stored in a multilayered resin film, but I've never found a trace of plastic in the aroma or taste. And of course, they keep in the fridge (but not in the cellar; these aren't meant to age) a lot longer than recorked bottles.

These are not profound wines--they're meant for quaffing (sensibly, of course)--and are especially handy at this time of year for picnics and other outdoor gatherings.

And if you have friends who still might scoff if you pull out a boxed wine, you have two viable options: Expand your social circle, or pour the wine into a nice carafe or decanter and get a kick out of their reaction.

Rack 'em up

Speaking of simple and surprising innovations, there's a cool newish product for storing a dozen or so wines--and it's made by a local dude.

Tom Mayrose invented and patented the Bottle Rack, right, which is basically two aluminum rods wrapped into a cushioned fabric. It unrolls and, after both rods are "locked in," bottles can be stacked, pyramid style, between the rods.

I've been keeping 15 bottles in mine, and it has held up beautifully. It's available for $14.95 plus tax and shipping at www.thebottlerack.net and can be used on any flat space, including a refrigerator rack, and with any kind of similarly sized bottles or cans. Probably even Tetra Paks.