Recommendations for Box Wines?

[david]

I am looking for recommendations for box wines. So far I have tried:

Black Box Merlot, very average, you can tell it is Merlot, but that is about it.
Black Box Sauvignon Blanc, very average
Bota Box "RedVolution" - a generic, somewhat sweet, red

I like the idea of it being "on tap" and in a vacuum packed bag where air cannot get into it and degrade it as quickly as an opened bottle. But I have yet to find one that I would recommend. Thoughts?

[Marshall]

Talk to Bill

[james]

Generally speaking, Pinot Grigio is a safe bet for a white. Occasionally it can be a little insipid but it's rarely "bleuch".

Reds last for a few days in the bottle if you put the top/cork back.

I can't really offer much otherwise as I don't know what is available to you.

[Dub]

[billhammond]

Feb 5, 2018 17:56:22 GMT -5 Marshall said:

Talk to Bill

I am totally sold on two Spanish boxed wines. Shania is my fave. (La Nevera is the other.) Here is a local wine dude's take on the former:



My favorite boxed wines are all from a brand called Shania. The white, red, and new rosé are all awesome and here’s everything you need to know about these wines produced in Spain by the Juan Gil family.

The wines come from Jumilla, a wine region is southeastern Spain toward the Mediterranean Sea. It’s a region of extremes, with incredibly hot summers and cool winters due to the elevation. It’s not a region of subtle wines: the only varieties that can produce consistently good wines here are ones found throughout the Mediterranean Basin: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache Blanc. Typical of regions of extreme heat, the resulting wines are not known for beauty or detail, but rather consistent production and predictably bold flavors. All of these wines come in 3L boxes for between $20-25 … the equivalent of about five and a half bucks for a bottle. To put it another way, that 5 ounce glass you pour whenever you want some wine will set you back all of a buck and change. That’s called fun wine drinking!

Shania White is made from the Grenache Blanc grape, which is a grape I tend to hate when somebody tries to do something serious with it. Honestly, the worst Grenache Blanc based wines I’ve had are often the most overthought and expensive. This one is crisp, clean, lively, and unlike most boxed wines actually has lip-smacking acidity. It’s a crowd pleaser for sure, and is best served refrigerator cold (the acid drops off fast as it warms up a bit). Think crisp clean happy lively joyful uncomplicated and you get the idea. Great with potato chips.

Shania Red is made from the powerhouse Monastrell grape, which is the deep dark backbone of many wines from the Southern Rhone. If you’ve had a Côtes-du-Rhône that impressed you with body, heft, and muscle then you’ve probably had a wine with a high percentage of Monastrell. In this boxed wine, you’ll find a pitch-perfect representation of a “country Euro wine” which to me means if you were an hour outside Madrid, stopping at a small tapas joint for a bite, and asked for a glass of red wine this is what you’d get. A touch earthy, a touch red-black fruit packed, a touch fresh and edgy, and quite dry in the finish (unlike so many other boxed wines). Great with a burger fresh off the grill.

Lastly, the icing on the cake: Shania Rosé has arrived (new this year) and it’s what I’ll be drinking all summer long. Hard to find info on exactly what it’s made of, but I’m going to assume Mourvedre (but in the end I don’t much care as long as it tastes good). Pale salmon color, beautiful highlights, dry as can be and crisp and clean. This is the top rosé of this year in terms of quality to price ratio. No doubt.

Boxed wine has its place, and it’s a place of fun, relaxation, unpretentiousness, and mindless enjoyment. It’s about absorbing the great weather that is coming our way and saving some serious money in the process.

Shania boxed wines can be found at many wine shops around town. I suggest you shop at independent local shops for many reasons, and be sure to ask for their opinions as well. They taste more wines than anybody, and might lead you to the next great thing.

[billhammond]

Oh, and he mentions $20-$25, but it's less than $17 at a place in Marty's neighborhood, yet another reason to live on the East Side of St. Paul.

[RickW]

Feb 5, 2018 17:36:17 GMT -5 david said:

I am looking for recommendations for box wines.

To slightly paraphrase Monty Python, “These are not wines for drinking. These are wines for lying down and avoiding. Fine wines for those keen on regurgitation.”

[david]

Thank you Bill! I will give these a try.

I looked up the region on a map of Spain and it is very close to the coastal town of Alicante, a semi nude beach that I unexpectedly discovered at the hormonal age of 20.

[Hobson]

We drink Almaden Cabernet in a box. Not complex, but it's consistent with no weird flavors. When we buy a bottle of Cabernet, we always compare. Is it better than the box stuff? Sometimes not. We don't drink much white wine, but keep a box of Almaden Chardonnay in the fridge. It's a better chard than the cab is a cab.

To digress somewhat, I once wrote a song about box wine. I probably posted it here before, but here's a link:

www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=832466&songID=12017309

[millring]

"Box wine" sounds just like "Bog swine".

[epaul]

I usually get Bota Box. I wait for sales (around $13 or so) then load up. I usually grab the Zinfandel and Merlot. Box wines are the only wines I buy any more. Unless you kill the bottle (which I have no objection to but just don't manage to do any more as often as I used to) box wines keep better and are fresher than opened bottles of wine (the collapsing bladder limits the exposure to air. Exposure to air equals stale wine.)

I will try other brands and boxes, I just usually opt for Bota. I did have a real nice blended red from some other brand, I just can't remember what it was. But it irradicated a prejudice I had developed for no good reason over red blends. There is nothing wrong with using whatever grapes it takes to achieve the desired result. Better than using a bunch of poor crop grapes just because they have the right name on the row.

[billhammond]

Feb 5, 2018 18:41:23 GMT -5 david said:

Thank you Bill! I will give these a try.

I looked up the region on a map of Spain and it is very close to the coastal town of Alicante, a semi nude beach that I unexpectedly discovered at the hormonal age of 20.

Another reliable (and domestic) box wine is the Jack Tone label outta California, named after a race horse. They have a red blend and a white blend, both tasty and totally unoffensive, perfect for parties with snacks. See it frequently at art gallery functions.

[billhammond]

Feb 5, 2018 18:50:07 GMT -5 Hobson said:

We drink Almaden Cabernet in a box. Not complex, but it's consistent with no weird flavors. When we buy a bottle of Cabernet, we always compare. Is it better than the box stuff? Sometimes not. We don't drink much white wine, but keep a box of Almaden Chardonnay in the fridge. It's a better chard than the cab is a cab.

To digress somewhat, I once wrote a song about box wine. I probably posted it here before, but here's a link:

www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=832466&songID=12017309

Fun song, Renee!

[drlj]

Feb 5, 2018 18:52:02 GMT -5 millring said:

"Box wine" sounds just like "Bog swine".

Bog Swine. Great band. I saw them in 70 just outside of St Joe, MI. There was a festival along the lake, called Festival along the Lake, of all things. I met this pretty blond Business Ed Major from West Lafayette who was in town with some friends. What a night under the stars at the lakeshore! Bog Swine played for hours.

[TKennedy]

The most important thing is pick a brand that comes with a straw.

[Village Idiot]

I remember my folks used to try to make their own wine in a bladder that looked like the bladder in a wine box. I have a feeling that was a big deal in the early 70s, I don't know.

But I do remember a bladder sitting on the kitchen counter, we go home one day and it had exploded all over the kitchen.

[Deleted]

Feb 5, 2018 18:37:43 GMT -5 RickW said:

Feb 5, 2018 17:36:17 GMT -5 david said:

I am looking for recommendations for box wines.

To slightly paraphrase Monty Python, “These are not wines for drinking. These are wines for lying down and avoiding. Fine wines for those keen on regurgitation.”

[Marty]

Bouquet like a aborigine's armpit.   

[RickW]

Feb 5, 2018 22:48:46 GMT -5 Marty said:

Bouquet like a aborigine's armpit.   

A truly classic routine. "this one really opens up the sluices at both ends."

[dradtke]

Bill, I think that's the first wine review I've read that suggests pairing with potato chips.