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Below are suggested boxed wines available at local wine shops. All are 3-liter boxes, which are the equivalent of four standard-sized bottles. Cave de Pomérols, Picpoul de Pinet,La Petite Frog Our best-selling summer white; crisp and clean with a grapefruit/citrus nose, lime flavors and bracing acidity. Best for just sipping on a hot summer evening. -- $24.95 Jim Compton J. Emerson Cuilleras Cote du Rhone, Domaine La Guintrandy This French blend (70 percent Grenache, 20 percent old Carignan and 10 percent Syrah) has cedar notes, plum, some oak, blackberry, boysenberry with dusty medium tannins. -- $25.95 Hunter Boxley The Wine Cellar Castillo De Fuendejalon Oak-aged Spanish red blend (75 percent Grenache, 25 percent Tempranillo). Black cherry cream palate with a medium to full body leading into a lengthy finish of dark red fruit with slight pepper spice and a touch of earth on the end. -- $20.99 March Helms Corks & Kegs Don Ramon Red This Spanish wine is made of 75 percent Garnache and 25 percent Tempranillo and aged three months in American oak. The color is a ruby dark garnet, with an effusive creamy cherry cough drop and aquarium nose. -- $21.99 Tony Vadella Bella Vino Hardys Chardonnay Classic Australian Chardonnay that is not too heavy, more fruit-forward. Tropical fruit, some melon, banana and pineapple character. Not overly oaked, very well-balanced. -- $17.99 Jeff Jenkins Total Wine |
Think outside the box."
It's a phrase you've certainly heard.
What about thinking inside the box?
Boxed wines are becoming more prevalent and more purchased than ever before.
But boxed wines have an unsavory reputation to overcome.
"I definitely think there's a stigma," Beer & Wine Westpark owner Matt Lake said. "I don't think it's justified. The stigma surrounds the box brands that have always existed. The newer box brands are breaking the mold. The older ones are carrying all of that baggage."
Many grocery stores carry numerous boxed wines, including Black Box, one of the more popular boxed wines. The Black Box's crisp fruit-forward Chardonnay measures up quite well and has been a "Wine Enthusiast" Best Buy since 2004.
"Black Box is the newer side of the movement, and they're saying, 'Let's put some quality wine in the box,'" Lake said.
Westpark carries five, 3-liter boxed wines, including the highly rated Powers Cabernet Sauvignon.
"3L Powers Cab Sauv from Washington state is $25, which is totally insane, because I sell the 750-milliliter bottle for $16," said Lake, who quickly sold out his last order and had more on the way.
Do the math. A 3-liter box -- the most common size -- is the equivalent to four standard 750-milliliter bottles. For the Powers Cabernet, that's like paying $6.25 a bottle.
"The Powers Cabernet is a real representative of Washington state Cabernet: full-bodied and fruit-forward in the American style with plenty of dusty tannins," Lake said.
And fresh.
"I've had to tell people to swirl the wine and let it sit in the glass a few minutes before they drink it because it is that fresh and safe from damaging oxygen," he said.
That freshness hangs around for a while because oxygen doesn't penetrate the vacuum-sealed bladder that holds the wine.
"The wine stays fresh for something close to three months," Lake said. "Boxed wine is the best way for medicinal wine drinkers to have a beneficial glass a day that is always fresh, while being economical. In fact, I'd say that's true for any regular but moderate drinkers, especially the elderly."
Recent, recommended: Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard's 2004 Albemarle Simply Red ($16). This vintage is 47 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 34 percent Cabernet Franc and 19 percent Merlot and was aged for 14 months in French oak. It has soft tannins and rich flavors of blackberry and spice. It's a terrific buy that can stand alone or go with meals.
It's available in the Richmond area at Private Stock, Once Upon a Vine, Corks and Kegs, Village Wine and Beer and Total Wine.
"Vines & Wines" appears alternate weeks in the Food section. Contact Jack Berninger at jberninger@timesdispatch.com.
