Vinarchy, a wine company formed in 2025 from the merger of Accolade Wines and Pernod Ricard Winemakers, has released its Echo Falls Summer Berries Fruit Fusion in a new box format, tapping into the growing popularity of boxed wines in the UK, with sales reportedly up 35% year-on-year. This latest addition lands squarely in the middle of that trend, though what it actually is depends on how you approach it.
Technically, yes, it’s a Rosé grape blend, but you won’t find that written on the packaging. The box simply describes it as an ‘Alcoholic Mixed Beverage’ and any traditional cues associated with wine, grape variety, origin, vintage, are conspicuously absent. The drink includes added fruit essence, specifically strawberries, raspberries, and a hint of darker berries. With an ABV of 9%, it’s low alcohol for a wine.
Visually, it has a coppery shade, and the aroma is immediately intense, bursting with strawberry and raspberry in a way that feels more like fruit cordial. That strong fruitiness carries straight through into the flavour, which is dominated by the same ripe berries and some sweetness. There’s not much complexity here, it doesn’t shift or deepen over time, what you experience at the start of the taste is exactly what you’ll get throughout.
If this description seems a little negative, it’s probably more a reflection of my preconceptions and expectations. Approaching this as a wine might lead to disappointment, but the drink isn’t really claming to be one. If you take it at face value as an ‘Alcoholic Fruit Fusion’ drink, it stands up very well. However, I think it does actually come across as more authentically wine-like than most of the low and no-alcohol wines. It’s intense in both aroma and taste, and yes, very easy to drink.
Viewed through this lens, it’s a tasty drink. It’s consistent across the taste, accessible and could be ideal for casual gatherings. Think of it more as an alcopop with a wine base, and it starts to make a lot more sense. My wife suggested it might pair nicely with sweet desserts. It’s also very budget-friendly.
Products like this are the result of changes in UK alcohol laws, and while some purists will grumble about the impact on wine’s reputation and origins, this sort of drink isn’t necessarily a threat, just something different. It feels like a new category emerging, sitting somewhere between wine and the world of pre-mixed alcoholic drinks.
Now available in Tesco and Sainsbury’s, it around £10.00 to £11.00 for a 1.5-litre box.
