Boxed Wine at Turkey Training Camp

The San Francisco Chronicle has always been marvelously open to including boxed wines in it's food and wine pages. Yesterday Stacy Finz included a box, the 2005 Black Box Wines Monterey County Chardonnay, among six wines chosen by the Chronicle's wine writer, W. Blake Gray for sampling at the SF Chronicle's Turkey Training Camp. The five Chronicle readers who participated in the camp favored the Riesling, and were apparently underwhelmed by the Black Box Chard.

TURKEY TRAINING CAMP
Riesling wins trainees' favor
Stacy Finz, Chronicle Staff Writer

. . . We figured that while we had them here, we'd use them as guinea pigs to test wine that our expert W. Blake Gray chose to pair with our menu of turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, vegetables and cranberry sauce.

With all those textures and flavors, finding the right wine is not easy. So Gray chose six:

• 2005 Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen Eroica Columbia Valley Riesling ($20)
• 2004 Castle Rock Lake County Sauvignon Blanc ($10)
• 2005 Black Box Wines Monterey County Chardonnay ($22 for a 3-liter box)
• NV Gallo Family Vineyards Twin Valley California White Zinfandel ($5)
• 2004 Frog's Leap Napa Valley Zinfandel ($25)
• NV Fox Creek Vixen McLaren Vale Sparkling Shiraz ($20)

He selected wines he thought would most complement the food, but were still affordable enough for entertaining large crowds. He chose the Riesling and White Zin because their sweetness balances well with Thanksgiving fare, the Sauvignon Blanc because it goes well with green vegetables, and the Chardonnay because of its value. The Zinfandel was a symbolic choice -- America's traditional holiday deserves the grape that's most associated with the United States. The sparkling Shiraz is both a fun wine and a great Thanksgiving pairing, and Aussies drink it with their turkey.

Gray suggests serving a few different varietals at dinner so there is something for everyone.

As members of our training camp sampled the meal they had slaved over, they swirled and sipped the wines. We didn't tell them what they were drinking, hid the boxed wine and disguised the bottles in brown paper bags.

Unequivocally they picked the Riesling as their top choice.

. . .

And no one seemed too impressed with the boxed Chardonnay. But at that price they may rethink it.

TURKEY TRAINING CAMP / Riesling wins trainees' favor

technorati tags: box, boxed, cask, wine, Thanksgiving, dinner

A Euro-Style Boxed Wine Dispenser

Here's that dispenser mentioned in the Cool Hunting item I posted earlier today. It comes from Poaa.com (Netherlands):

Wine "bag in box" Dispenser

Design: Patrik Svanberg

Bag-in-box Wine dispenser - Tired of the less good looking wine dispenser and want a smooth looking alternative? Wine dispenser made in metal and available in white red or black.

Buy a carton of wine (most of the time 3 litres) and remove the carton and put the winebag in the wine dispenser. It looks nice and is very handy.

Size: W 103 mm, H 345 mm, D 180 mm

Available in: Black, Red and White colour.

It sells for 39 euros, plus another 24 for shipping. The only functional advantage I can see is that it lifts the valve up so that the glass can be positioned underneath; the box needn't be perched on the edge of a table or counter. Whether it is more attractive than the cardboard box may be a matter of taste. The dispenser certainly does not disguise the fact that the wine came from a box; it only makes it anonymous.

technorati tags: box, boxed, cask, bag-in-box, wine, dispenser

The Basic Black Box and Some Accessories

From Letizia Rossi, November 16, 2006, the Cool Hunting blog takes note of the boxed wine trend.

Boxed Wine
The fastest growing sector of the American wine market, boxed wine is starting to shake off its stigma as the gauche alternative to bottles. Wines that actually taste good can now be found in ecologically-sound, well-designed packaging without sacrificing quality. Here are a few of the better boxed wines featuring latest packaging innovations and some accessories to go with them.

Black Box
Black Box Wines feature grapes from renowned California growing regions. Unlike bottle stoppers that don't do much to stop oxidation, the spigot design prevents air from contacting wine until its poured, keeping it fresh for almost a month. Three-liter boxes (more than triple the volume of a bottle) sell for $18 and a couple varietals are available from BevMo.

Bag-in-box Wine Dispenser
A perfect fit with the Black Box three-liter bags, the Bag-in-box Wine Dispenser conceals your secret with its sleek design available in black, white and red. Designed by Swedish designer Patrik Svanberg, the Bag-in-box Wine Dispenser's European heritage is no surprise—boxed wine has long been popular on the continent. Available online for €40.

Cool Hunting: Boxed Wine

There's lots more in the way of accessories. I'm particularly curious about the bag-in-box wine dispenser, and will look at that further later on.

technorati tags: box, boxed, cask, wine, dispenser, bag-in-box

A Box of Wine - A Cultural Icon

Many of the Franzia wine box Halloween costume photos I posted in October came from the website Box of Wine - A Cultural Icon. This website is a must-see for anyone curious about the whole boxed wine phenomenon. Writer, composer, and musician S. K. Waller is gathering info for a big full-color glossy coffee-table book about boxed wine. On the site's front page, Waller comments on wine-snobbery:

"I'm darned tired of wine snobbery. Wine should taste good. It's that simple. You don't need to know how to swirl a glass, or inhale the vapors as the wine sits on your tongue (that little pantomime makes you look like a demented fish, anyway). All you need to know is, do you like it? If not, it's a bad wine. If so, it's a good wine. And who the hell cares how much it costs? I took a $6.99 bottle of Barefoot Sauvignon Blanc to a wine tasting party a few years ago, where all the bottles were hidden inside paper bags so no one would know their identities. It won 1st place over dozens of other wines, including a $45.00 bottle of some California-wannabe-French wine. That night I learned a valuable lesson -- and won a fancy corkscrew as first prize besides." -- S.K. Waller

Box Of Wine - A Cultural Icon

The often disparaged box of wine has won a place in the hearts of one out of five wine drinkers worldwide. Why? Is it because of its lack of pretentiousness? Its ability to fit in with nearly any group or party? Certainly, it has less to do with economy than one might think at first consideration, because people the world over seem to love having their picture taken with a box of wine under their arm, suspended over their open mouths and even holding it front-and-center as they would a baby, a pet, or a treasured possession. Many people even dress up as a box of wine for costume parties. It's apparent that the simple, satisfying box of wine has become a cultural icon, recognizable to all and loved by many.

Box Of Wine - A Cultural Icon

Well, the if National Trust of South Australia officially names the bag-in-box wine cask a "heritage icon" for it's contribution to South Australia's cultural identity, then why not a coffee table book? Take a moment to visit Waller's "Boxxo" site!

technorati tags: box, boxed, cask, wine, boxxo, box o' wine

Gravel Mine Pinot Noir 3 Liter Box

Another Washington State Pinot Noir addition to the list of bag-in-box wines:

Gravel Mine Pinot Noir
From English Estate Winery
US, Washington, Clark County
3 liter box, vintage dated (also available in bottle)
About $87

3L BIBB 2002 Gravel Mine Pinot Noir. A clean, fresh wine with great tannin that balances the underlying cherry, strawberry and rosey character. This wine displays the characteristics we expect from our Gravel Mine Vineyards, but it also reflects the extremely long, 5 month, drought we experienced in the summer of 2002, stressing the vines and concentrating the flavors.

3L BIBB 2002 Gravel Mine Pinot Noir

technorati tags: box, boxed, cask, wine, Pinot, Noir, English Estate Winery

Thanksgiving Is Pinot Noir Season

With Thanksgiving approaching, Pinot Noir is on my mind. For me, it has always been the perfect classic choice to complement the traditional American Thanksgiving feast. And with a good sized crowd gathering, I think a box (or two or three) is just the answer. Red boxed wine is not just about Cab, Merlot, and Burgundy. There is actually very fine Pinot Noir in a 3 liter cask (some of it even way to "fine" for my limited budget) from English Estate Winery (Washington). Not too easy to find, but available by internet order. If I don't get around to ordering a box of Pinot Noir, I can always fall back on a Syrah. There are now a number of premium 3 liter Shiraz boxed wines with broad availability around the country. Brands that come to mind are Black Box, Delicato, Wine Cube, Hardy's Stamp, Fish Eye, Corbett Canyon, and Banrock Station.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will concentrate on adding some more of these wines to my big list of boxed wines (well, it's not exactly big yet, but it keeps growing).

technorati tags: box, boxed, cask, wine, red, syrah, shiraz, pinot, noir, Thanksgiving

El Paseo Valencia Red 3 Liter Box

A Spanish addition to the Boxed Wine Spot list of boxed wines:


El Paseo Valencia Red
El Paseo Winery (Precept Brands)
Spain, Valencia
3 liter box, (also available in bottle vintage dated)
About $16

Vintage Note
Vinters throughout Spain enjoyed an excellent harvest in 2004. The vintage was marked by grapes with deep color, excellent aromatics and concentrated flavors. A spring frost and hot summer temperatures ripened fruit to perfection. A reduced crop size with ideal autumn weather conditions gives the wines intensity and richness.

Tasting Note
Deep purple red in color with an intense nose of strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, spice and resin. The palate is clean and fruity with a feel of tannins and a long, wide finish.

Variety Blend: 100% Tempranillo
Bottling
TA: 3.1%
Ph: 3.67
Alc: 13.5%
Available sizes: 750ml bottle, 3L cask

2004 Valencia Red | El Paseo | ¡Savor Life!

technorati tags: box, boxed, cask, wine, El Paseo, winery, Valencia, red, Spain