Consumers like cheap wines —but they don’t like bad wines. And that’s the problem: How do you know that wine with a$10 price tag is actually going to taste good?

You can narrow your gamble by selecting wines from certain countries, like Chile and Argentina, or wines made with certain grapes, like shiraz and sauvignon blanc. But does it even have to be in a bottle?

No. Over the last several years we have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of wine that comes in 3-liter boxes. Even French producer Grand Veneur is selling wine in boxes.

Those of you who have only an occasional glass of wine would be better off drawing from a collapsible bag that spares wine from the damaging exposure to air than re-corking a bottle for a week. Boxed can last six weeks without any depreciation.

We recently sat down with Georgetta Dane, a Romanian-born winemaker who inherited the job of making Randall Grahm’s iconic Big House wines. Grahm sold the label to The Wine Group in 2006, but its new owners wanted to keep Grahm’s quirky labels that made Big House a huge success.

Dane’s first challenge was tending Grahm’s stable of 42 grape varieties that ranged from tempranillo to charbono. That wasn’t easy for someone who was more familiar with her country’s chardonnay and pinot noir. Some of the flavors of these obscure grapes were new to her. She broke down the aromas of these wines much like she would with perfume: identifying each little nuance one at a time.

Dane is unashamed to be making box wines, but she would love to narrow her field to maybe 30 grape varieties. Who could blame her?

Big House is just one of several box wines made by Franzia Bros., owners of The Wine Group. The octagonal shape makes the boxes stand out and provides visual appeal— something reinforced by one of Tom’s co-workers who was immediately attracted to their unusual package.

The 10 winemakers involved in the boxed wines blend lots of different varieties to achieve a quaffable, fruity wine that is easy to enjoy. Big House, for instance, has 13 grape varieties ranging from the recognizable syrah to the more obscure tannat.

We felt a little odd drawing wine from a tap at the dinner table, so producers still have the hurdle of presentation. If you don’t like to have a box at the table, Big House also comes in bottles.

Here are the box wines we enjoyed:

• Big House White ($22/3L). The base of this fragrant, smoothly textured wine is malvasia bianca and muscat canelli. Add to that viognier for more fragrance, gruner veltliner, pinot gris and white riesling and you have a delicious drink reminiscent of melons and peaches.

• Big House Red ($22/3L). Still the fruit bomb once made by Grahm, this blend offers gooseberry and raspberry aromas, followed by cranberry and raspberry flavors.

• Boho Old Vine Zinfandel ($24/3L). You don’t often find zinfandel from low-yielding, old vines in boxes. There are lots of jammy plum and herb flavors with a dash of oak.

• Silver Birch Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($24/3L). Made in New Zealand, this floral sauvignon blanc sports ripe pear and apple flavors with a touch of mineral.

• Monthaven Winery Central Coast Chardonnay ($24/3L). Partial barrel fermentation and 4 months of aging makes this a solid wine with tropical fruit notes and good acidity.

Here are a few more values we found, this time in bottles:

• ConchayToro Xplorador Merlot ($8). Bright cherry flavors with a touch of chocolate and cassis. A nice wine for the price.

• Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 White Wine ($8). A great summer wine with simple and ripe fruit flavors, it is a blend of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and semillon. Great value with a touch of residual sugar.

• Campos de Risca Monastrell 2008 ($9). This is a killer mourvedre with a floral aroma, berry flavors and a touch of spice.

• Blackstone California Merlot 2008 ($11). This continues to be one of the best values on the market. General floral aromas with plum and extracted plum and blackberry flavors, long finish and a desire to have another glass.

Note: Some of the wines recommended in our column may have been provided for review by their producers.