98 Points??? Double Gold??? Two-Buck Chuck Chard WIns Big

So, OK, Two-Buck Chuck is not boxed wine, but I'm going to include this item here because I have had so many conversations about Two-Buck Chuck vs premium boxed wines. I must admit, I am stunned. The California State Fair Wine Competition judged the Charles Shaw 2005 California Chardonnay best best of class. This was on yesterday's Business Wire. The news is apparently so fresh that the results are not even up on the State Fair website yet. Here's a segment of the article.

$1.99 Chardonnay Judged California’s Best

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--California’s wine world turned upside down – pricewise – today when the Charles Shaw 2005 California Chardonnay (yes, the $1.99 “Two-Buck Chuck” made by Bronco Wine Company and sold through Trader Joe’s) was judged the Best Chardonnay from California at the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition.

G.M. Pucilowski, Chief Judge and director of the competition, said, “Since we judge all wines totally by variety, without different brackets for price, this double-gold achievement by the Bronco winemakers is astounding.” While the complete results are to be announced July 12, Renata Franzia of Bronco’s Franzia family received the news today and the word is spreading. The Chardonnay received 98 points, a double gold, and the accolades of Best of California and Best of Class.

Dr. Richard Peterson, veteran winemaker and a State Fair judge for 20 years, said, “We have the most open judging I know. There is nothing to bias the judging: we get numbered glasses; we don’t know region, brand or price; we evaluate the judges frequently to make sure they’re tops in the field. Charles Shaw won because it is a fresh, fruity, well-balanced Chardonnay that people and judges, though maybe not wine critics, will like!”

$1.99 Chardonnay Judged California's Best

Related Tags: Charles, Shaw, Two, Buck, Chuck, Chardonnay, Wine, competition

Three Liter Box Wine Volume Up 44 Percent in US

From the Orlando Sentinel

Cheers! Outside-the-box drinking
The Associated Press
June 27, 2007

Box wine is now the fastest-growing wine category. According to data from AC Nielsen, 3-liter box wine volume grew 44 percent in the past year, compared to a 3 percent gain in overall table-wine volume.

Although wine has been packaged in a box for some time, the new boxes aren't like those 5-liter jugs of sweet, headache-inducing wines of the past. Although those are still readily available, there are now premium varieties that show more complexity. Of course, premium box wines are more pricey. A chardonnay can run $20 a box that has the equivalent of four bottles, whereas lower-quality 5-liter boxes range from $6 to $10 for more than six bottles of wine. Premium boxes are still a steal, however, since a quality bottle of wine easily can cost $10-$30 or more.

Cheers! Outside-the-box drinking -- OrlandoSentinel.com

Box Wines Blog Got Press Today

The Box Wines blog got some press today from Lenn Thompson on Hamptons.com. Lenn has another excellent wine blog, LENNDEVOURS. Lenn wrote about wine information on the web, in particular about the vibrant world of wine blogging. He mentions several good blogs, ending with Box Wines.

Lest you think wine blogs are yet another spot for wine snobbery, there's even a blog for lovers of boxed wines. The Box Wine Blog (boxwines.org), as its name suggests focuses on affordable wines that are often found in alternative packaging like boxes, cans and the like.

Hamptons.com - Wine on the Web

Related Tags: box, boxed, cask, wine, blog

Wine Packaging Trends in France

From Expatica

Wine packaging: Bag-in-box, plastic bottles, cork comeback?

BORDEAUX, France, June 22, 2007 (AFP) - In the past 12 years, France, the world's leading wine producer, has fostered just one revolution in the world of packaging -- the bag-in-box, or BIB.

The slow pace of change has been offset however by the fact that French BIB wine tastes much better than that in Britain -- sometimes called the "scourge of the summer party" -- or in the United States.

Holding back innovations in both French packaging and branding has been the complexity of its wine classifications system, as opposed to the simplicity of new world producers such as Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and the US.

"Wine is very complex in France, the customer therefore wants reassurance, not novelty," said Olivier Mouchet, wine director at Auchan, a leading French supermarket chain, at this year's Vinexpo, the world's biggest wine trade show.

BIBs, introduced in France in the 1980s, were largely ignored until recently when sales grew as buyers switched from older non-airtight "cubies", which once opened had to be transferred to bottles at home or drunk as soon as possible.

New-age BIBs, plastic air-tight containers with a self-sealing tap, allow wine-lovers to drink by the glass without spoiling the wine or altering its taste.

Mouchet said the rise of BIBs, which now represent 15 per cent of French supermarket wine sales, has doubled Auchan's sales in the last five years.

On the international wine scene, the future holds higher quality wine in BIBs, lighter glass bottles, and light plastic bottles made from PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, a compound developed in the 1970s that is now coming into its own due to its recyclability.

...

Wine packaging: Bag-in-box, plastic bottles, cork comeback?, French News, France, Expatica

French Boxed Wine Comes to China?

This little news bit is from China Wines Information Website

The first unique store of French wine bag-in-box was established in Shanghai

Beaujolais wine which had a long history for 102 years was from one of ten major wine regions in France. Recently, the first unique store of Beaujolais wine was set up in Shanghai.

At the wine-tasting for opening, a lot of people spoke highly of the wine. The taste of it was good and its bag-in-box package was convenient for people to take it away. It's welcome in Shanghai.

This French wine had hundreds of varieties including red, white and rose wines. They were separately from Burgundy, Beaujolais, Bordeaux and other ten major wine regions.

The first unique store of French wine bag-in-box was established in Shanghai - wines-info

Related Tags: box, boxed, bag-in-box, cask, wine, French, China

Angel Juice Pinot Grigio 3 Liter Box

The first Italian Pinot Grigio on the list of bag-in-box wines. Have you tried this wine? If so, please leave a comment:

Angel Juice Pinot Grigio
Imported by Angel Juice Cellars, Ripon CA (Underdog Wine Merchants, the Wine Group)
Venezie region, Italy
3 liter box, vintage dated
About $19

With bright citrus notes, tropical fruit and honeysuckle, this Pinot Grigio exhibits the distinctive color, balance and freshness that is unique to this special Italian region.

Adam Richardson, Winemaker, Angel Juice Cellars


Reviews on the web:

October 9, 2006, the Beverage Tasting Institute

Angel Juice 2005 Pinot Grigio, Venezie IGT $18.99/3 Liter Cask.
Pale golden yellow color. Earthy lemon and wet balsa aromas follow through to a dry, tart medium body with lemon peel, melon, and balsa flavors. Finishes with a tangy, crisp, wet stone accented fade. A nice value.
WORLD WINE CHAMPIONSHIPS AWARD: Silver Medal
86 points (Highly Recommended)

Angel Juice 2005 Pinot Grigio, Venezie IGT $18.99/3 Liter Cask.

Roger, March 2, 2007, Box Wines blog (Roger does not note the vintage of his box, but I'm assuming 2005)

Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10
... a mild, pleasant wine ... The nose is floral with some woody notes and a hint of clove. On the palate, the wine is light-bodied and delicate, with pear, melon and citrus leading into a slightly acidic finish. ... Overall, Angel Juice is a delicate, dry, and refreshing wine that can be enjoyed at any time but might be particularly fun at outdoor summer parties, both for general quaffing and to accompany lighter fare like salads and fruit.

Wines » Angel Juice Pinot Grigio

Sumi, May 15, 2007, comment on Box Wines

i found the wind to lack flavor, taste flabby, and was very disappointed. the color is a darker yellow with some gold in it, rather than what a pinot grigio should look like. not worth the price.

Wines » Angel Juice Pinot Grigio

At Our House: we just finished a box of 2005 Angel Juice Pinot Grigio. We consumed most of it at a Sunday evening gathering at home, and took the remainder to a midweek party. We agreed that it was very good (better than "pretty good," but not "exceptionally good"). Those at the party who tasted it (some with hesitation) found it surprisingly good. We will definitely buy this again.

Related Tags: box, boxed, cask, white, wine, Pinot, Grigio, Angel, Juice, review

VinUno Boxed Wine Box

Many who purchase boxed wine appreciate the convenience and the economy of the box. Are these the people who will spend $132 on a stylish unmarked box from which to serve said boxed wine? Many who shun boxed wine assume the contents to be inferior. Will placing the bag of wine in a fancy, anonymous, Danish box improve their opinion of the contents?

I'm not sure who the VinUno is for. Certainly not for me. Designed by Lars Erdman, the VinUno is made of polished steel and laquered wood. It's available in dark red, white, and black, and you can put a "cooling element" in to keep white wine cold (would that be a cold-pack?). $132.12 from Scandinavian Design Center.

Related Tags: box, boxed, cask, wine, bag-in-box