Joe Blow Red
Price: $10
Maker: Joe Blow Wine Cellars (Delicato Vineyards), King City, Pine Canyon & Manteca, California
Varietal: Blend of Syrah, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.6 out of 10
Joe Blow Red is a non-vintage blend of five different grapes: Syrah, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon. It has an informal label that implies a casual, fun wine. And, that's pretty much what one finds in the bottle. The nose has clove and licorice notes, with a slight hint of flowers. On the palate, this blend opens a bit weak with cherry and plum notes, but finishes strong and long with oak, black pepper. In between, there's a little chocolate.
We couldn't learn much about the wine from the Joe Blow website, although there is an amusing story that says the concept of the blend started when winemakers inadvertently pumped Napa Valley Merlot into a tank of Monterey Syrah. A few bloggers have commented... WanderingAmylessly planned to serve it on Election night in a sort of homage to Joe the Plumber. The Wine Guy termed it an "awesome low acid and fruity wine," awarding Joe Blow Red six and a half stars out of ten. Chuck Newton thought it had "way too much in the way of tannins." Bruce Campbell of the Wenatchee Valley Enological Society likes Joe Blow's marketing and gives it and similar labels credit for bringing new wine drinkers into the market. Just A Grape scores it a four our of five. The Whinery kind of liked it, but suggests it might be a good base for making sangria.
Delicato Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Price: $17
Maker: Delicato Family Vineyards
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 3 liter box, pushbutton spigot
Alcohol: 13.3%
Our Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Delicato Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 was another vaguely disappointing offering from a brand that proudly proclaims its list of gold medal awards. The nose is mild but spicy. The flavor is slightly reminiscent of some of the 5-liter box wines, with a slightly sweet plumminess and chocolate and a moderately spicy finish. The wine, in our opinion, doesn't show much varietal character - we aren't finding what we'd like to see in a good Cab. This is one that you might have to try for yourself, as the wine isn't entirely unpleasant and may appeal to some.
We checked out the Delicato website, and while the latest Shiraz has garnered some favorable attention, we couldn't find any awards for Delicato Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. Their notes talk about, "rich, well-developed flavors of cherry, blackberry and a hint of oak to compliment the fruit." That seems rather unlike what we found in this particular box. Closer to our thoughts were those of Paxton at the Destination Unknown blog, who noted, "it's missing the complexity that would be necessary to make it a good wine, though there is a dark plum flavor beneath the astringency."
Delicato Shiraz 2005
Price: $17
Maker: Delicato Family Vineyards
Varietal: Shiraz
Packaging: 3 liter box, pushbutton spigot
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10
Delicato likes to brag about their many gold medals, and one honor for Delicato Shiraz 2005 is that the wine received a “Best Buy” designation from Wine Enthusiast magazine. Our experience with Delicato Shiraz 2004 wasn't bad, so we looked forward to the 2005 Shiraz. We found the nose to be filled with dark berries, plums, and spice. The flavor is quite plummy, with blackberry notes and a tiny bit of spice in the finish. It's a bit sweet, although I hasten to add that it's not a sweet wine by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, it's a bit less dry and less complex than I'd like in a Shiraz. On the plus side, it's a smooth, gulpable wine with a moderately spicy finish.
Delicato seems to be on a roll... Delicato Family Vineyards was named the International Wine and Spirits Competition USA Producer of the Year for the third time in 2006.
In Wine Blogging Wednesday #31, Wannabe Wino tried it as part of our box and non-traditional package theme, and sort of liked it, noting, "It's smooth and easy to drink and I have to keep in mind that averaging it out, it costs less than $5 a bottle. The wine is not complex, but I wouldn't really expect that at the price point." And that's the key point - at a price of about $4 per bottle-equivalent, it's a real value.
WBW #31 – Post-Game Commentary
WBW #31 was my first Wine Blogging Wednesday as a host, and I really appreciate all of the wine bloggers who took a chance on something unfamiliar - we had people tasting wine from boxes, cans, juice packs... great job, everyone, and sorry if you happened upon a clunker! Thanks, too, to Lenn Thompson for starting this community effort!
I didn't know quite what to expect from the topic of "box wines & non-traditional packaging". While I was quite sure nobody would discover a wine they would rate in the high 90s, I did hope that people would encounter some decent wines they could recommend to their friends for every day drinking. I also hoped that with the worldwide dispersion of WBW bloggers that we'd encounter quite a few totally new wines. After all, we hear how diverse the choices are in Australia, where more than half the wine consumed is in boxes, and that 3-liter boxes are the fastest growing segment in the U.S. wine market.
Late Additions. If you have already perused the WBW #31 summary, be aware that we've added a couple of more tastings to the original WBW #31 roundup. LizKitchen compared three Chardonnays from three continents, and A Guy, A Girl, and A Bottle temporarily became a A Couple With Cans for the purpose of this WBW theme. ChâteauBrys reported on a teeny (187 ml) bottle of 2002 Delicato Chardonnay.
Sofia Who? As it turns out, we had a few novel choices, but quite a few participants had difficulty finding anything beyond the mass market boxes. We also found some surprising overlap in the choices. By far the most popular choice was Sofia Blanc de Blancs, a sparkling wine in a can that comes with its own bendy straw - Gastronomic Fight Club, My Wne Education, Wine Outlook, A Guy, A Girl, and A Bottle, and Huevos Con Vino all tried this one. To my great frustration, despite the fact that the wine is apparently packaged in Indiana I have yet to identify a local source for this.
Interesting Finds. We did have a few unusual choices - I've never seen a Sherry in a box, but Cook (almost) Anything found a cask of Seppelt Cream Sherry. Wine for Newbies found Cuvee de Peña 2004 from the Rhone region of France. And Winecast discovered a box of Casa La Joya Cabernet-Carmenere from the Colchagua Valley, Chile. Dr. Vino came up with another interesting one, Domain Sorin Cotes de Provence 2005 Rose - but it is available only in France.
Plonk Avoided (Mostly). Thankfully, nobody bought a 5-liter box of Franzia (or Almaden or Vella) and said, "Gaaak - this is awful!" We were hoping to avoid experiences that would put people off outside-the-bottle wines for the next decade, and, by and large, we were successful. There were a few notably bad ones. Spittoon hated Tesco Sicilian Red Wine, though Andrew later pointed out that Tesco is the UK equivalent of WalMart. Winehiker Witiculture scored French Rabbit Pinot Noir a mere 9 out of 20. Grape Juice didn't find much to like in the little plastic bottles of Virgin Vines Shiraz. Tales of a Sommelier found the Paul Masson White Wine Carafe quite lacking. If there's one characteristic shared by these choices, they tend to come from the lower end of the non-traditional spectrum - with the possible exception of the somewhat stylish French Rabbit, these are wines that don't aspire to greatness, or even a high level of mediocrity. Let's recognize the sacrifices made by these bloggers - they tried this stuff so that you (and many, many readers) won't have to!
Surprise Bargain. One box brand that I've avoided to date has been the very low priced Corbett Canyon in a 3-liter box. I've seen it on the store shelf for under $10, and mentally I've lumped it in the same category, more or less, as the aforementioned 5-liter plonk. I was really surprised that two bloggers who participated in group tastings reported that Corbett Canyon was a group favorite - Citizen Wine 's group liked Corbett Canyon Chardonnay, while The Boxed Wine Spot's group enjoyed Corbett Canyon Pinot Grigio. I guess I'm going to have to give this brand a try after all!
All in all, this has been a lot of fun and very informative. A big "thanks" to all, and let's keep the conversation going!
WBW #31 – Tasting Roundup
We've had a lot of really neat entries for Wine Blogging Wednesday #31, with the theme, "Box Wines & Non-Traditional Packaging." This was an interesting challenge - some found it easy, while others had difficulty finding a wine that met the criteria but wasn't the low-end plonk that has traditionally been the mainstay of boxed wine in the U.S. So, without further ado, we'll start the summary - entries are listed in approximate order of arrival. (If I somehow missed your entry or have mangled your name or comments, please accept my apology and drop me an email at boxwineguy -at - boxwines -dot- org.)
Snekse at the Gastronomic Fight Club couldn't find an appealing box wine, so instead chose champage in a can: Sofia Blanc de Blancs, from Francis Coppola. To complete the non-traditional approach, snekse even drank it through a straw. He commented, "Not a top of the line wine, but if I could find it for $3 a can again, I'd consider buying it. It would be a fun summer wine in a perfect container for picnics." Snekse rated it an 87.
Edward at the Wino Sapien also went the can route, tasting two: Barokes Bin 241 Chardonnay Semillon NV, and Barokes 'Bubbly wine' Bin 171 Cabernet Shiraz Merlot NV. Edward found both of these to be just fair, rating them 83 and 82, respectively. Edward thinks it will be a while before wine in cans is accepted by wine drinkers, who have yet to fully embrace screw cap closures on conventional bottles.
Kathy at the Boxed Wine Spot tried in vain to locate some interesting and different boxed wines, so instead she planned an impromptu tasting event with eight friends. They tried five different Pinot Grigios: Corbett Canyon 2006 Pinot Grigio, Delicato 2005 Pinot Grigio, FishEye 2005 Pinot Grigio, Trove 2005 Pinot Grigio, and Wine Cube 2005 Pinot Grigio. Not surprisingly, the tasters all had different opinions. The biggest winner of the night was the FishEye - it elicited five votes for "top pick", including the guest Kathy considered her expert. The very inexpensive Corbett Canyon scored about as well as the FishEye with the group at large, though the expert didn't much like it. This was so much fun that Kathy's ready to try it again, perhaps with Shiraz.
Lisa at Vinorati took quite a different approach, opting to sample some bulk wines. Once common in Europe, the practice of filling a customer's container directly or furnishing a plastic bottle is gradually being phased out, according to Lisa, with some of that volume going to the more convenient bag-in-box product - read the post for a historical perspective on bulk wine distributon. The wines she tried were all red table wines: Saint-Emilion Cave Cooperative, Bordeaux Superieure, and Vin de Table (Montagne Saint-Emilion) . Lisa liked the Saint-Emilion Cave Cooperative the best, considering it a decent party wine, while the phrase "cherry cough syrup" figured in the notes for the last wine.
Bill of Podcast: Wine for Newbies made an excursion to Sam's Wine & Spirits to hunt down some different boxed wine. He found Killer Juice Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 and Cuvee de Peña 2004. The Killer Juice cab earned a mere 75 points from Bill. The Cuvee de Peña, a blend of various Rhône varietals, fared better. Bill liked the color and balance of the wine, rating it an 82.
Haalo, who hails from the Cook (almost) Anything... at least once blog, a kind of wine we haven't seen in a box before: a fortified wine, specifically Seppelt Cream Sherry. Once Haalo got past the fear of being seen exiting the store with a two-liter cask of sherry, things improved. Haalo liked to color and nose of this sherry, and commented, "Not overly sweet, it's rich but not cloying - well-balanced with just the right about of acid to make it refreshing. Serve chilled it's perfect for pre- and post- dinner sipping." Haalo also reminds us that, for better or worse, Australia was the origin of the bag-in-box package.
Michelle, of My Wine Education, apparently took the assignment as a real educational opportunity - she tasted four wines in three packaging styles: 2003 Aussie Sweet White (can), Sofia Mini(can), French Rabbit Cabernet Sauvignon (TetraPrism), and Rain Dance South African Shiraz (box). Michelle liked the Sofia (though she did decide to pour it in a glass rather than sipping through the straw or chugging it directly from the can). She also enjoyed the Rain Dance Shiraz, finding it to be easy-drinking and straight-forward.
Dr. Debs of Good Wine Under $20 found the assignment the hardest WBW yet, but found 2005 Three Thieves "Bandit" Pinot Grigio in a 4-pack of TetraPaks. He recommends pouring the wine into a glass to gauge the aroma, which he notes is difficult to do through a straw. Dr. D says, "This was certainly not the worst pinot grigio I've ever had, and at $2.75 per juice box, or under $8 for the equivalent of a 750ml bottle, it represented good QPR."
Farley of Wine Outlook contributes comments on Sofia Mini Blanc de Blancs (can) and 2004 Hardy's Shiraz (box). Clearly, WBW participants have a thing for the Sofia cans, and Farley liked the sparkling wine a lot. The Hardy's, unfortunately, didn't fare quite as well. "Very thin, rather bitter, with very little fruit or any other flavors" summed up the flavors Farley found.
Andrew at Spittoon may have found it necessary to use the receptacle from which his blog takes its name when he tried Tesco Sicilian Red Wine. We haven't seen that brand before, and we won't look for it now. Andrew found it to be quite awful: "God its terrible. Sweet fruit initially, simple, then a hollow centre, a whack of tannins and the overwhelming feeling of disappointment. Acidic. Rough. Unbalanced." Sorry to inflict that on you, old chap!
Sonadora of The Wannabe Wino fared better than Andrew (thank goodness) by trying a 2005 Delicato Shiraz. At the outset, the thought of boxed wines brought only Franzia to Sonadora's mind, but she was surprised to find the Delicato Shiraz quite drinkable. She judged to to be the equivalent of a $7 - $8 bottled Shiraz.
Russ of Winehiker Witiculture hiked over to Albertson's to find a 2004 French Rabbit Pinot Noir, a one-liter TetraPak carton. Despite its promising French origin, this is one rabbit that wouldn't run, or even hop, for Russ. The color and aroma were promising, but this Pinot Noir was a big disappointment on the palate for Russ. He awarded it 9 points... that sounds quite good, until you realize it's on a scale of 20.
Seb of The Table took a highly unorthodox approach to tasting 2004 Killer Juice Cabernet Sauvignon. Forget the fancy Riedel stemware, the starched tablecloths, and other elements of fine dining. Seb instead chose to taste it in the middle of the night, in a bus parked in the woods, with candles as the sole light source... poured in a mug to accompany cold pizza, the Killer Juice cab served its purpose, even if it didn't prove to be a great wine.
Lenn of Lenndevours (originator of Wine Blogging Wednesday) was a bit worried about the whole box wine idea... he'd never had one that was even gulpable. Fortunately, Lenn picked up a box of Trove 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, and found it to be better than expected. Lenn found, "lots of red berries, especially cherries, throughout, fruity but not Australian or overdone. Very little oak and rather juicy, medium body."
Catherine of Purple Liquid tried two different wines: 2004 Three Thieves Bandit Pinot Grigio (Tetra Pak) and 2005 Hardy's Stamp of Australia Cabernet Sauvignon (3 liter box). Catherine liked the Pinot Grigio, and suggests pouring it into a bottle to serve to guests! The Cab proved to be an adequate everyday drinking wine, but the 3 liter quantity was a bit intimidating; some of it may end up in a stew!
Tim of Winecast also found the topic to be the most daunting WBW yet. Tim was up to the challenge, though, scoring a 3 liter cask of Casa La Joya Cabernet-Carmenere NV from the Colchagua Valley, Chile. This is one of the more unique wines in this WBW, and is exactly the kind of wine we were hoping some entrants would discover to share with the rest of us. Tim described the wine as, "Purple-black in color with aromas of dark fruit, black pepper and mint. Full bodied on the palate with flavors of blackberry, bell pepper and gunmetal finishing with moderate tannins." He found it to be a nice everyday wine and a good value at under $5 per bottle-equivalent.
Huevos con Vino was another entrant who tried Sofia Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine. Read the post for an interesting discussion of the marketing origins of this Sofia wine - it's a product targeted at a young market looking for convenience and a readily accessible flavor. Though the product may not appeal to serious wine drinkers, it may serve as a gateway to introduce a new generation of consumers to the pleasures of wine.
Erin and Michelle write the Grape Juice blog, and decided not to stray very far from traditional packaging: they found Virgin Vines in little plastic bottles. Trying Virgin Vines Shiraz, Erin and Michelle weren't impressed, summing it up as "Typical poopy bottom of the barrel Californian." They think it's a marketing-driven wine that doesn't have much to offer. They both rate it, "I wouldn't make faces."
Dr. Vino comes up with another of the unique finds for this WBW - unfortunately, Domain Sorin Cotes de Provence 2005 Rose is available only in France. It is made without chemical fertilizers or pesticides in the vineyard, and is comprised of four classic grape varieties from the region. It comes in a 5-liter box, with a price of about $6 per bottle-equivalent.
Tom of Citizen Wine offers the largest group of boxed wines in this WBW - a group of 17 members of the newly formed San Francisco Wine Enthusiast Meetup group sampled a total of 18 bag-n-box wines. Read the post for more details, but one of the big favorites was the low-cost Corbett Canyon Chardonnay. The wine determined to be the best of the group was a box of Hardys Shiraz.
Alder of Vinography did a nice writeup on 2005 French Rabbit Chardonnay, Vin de Pays d'Oc, France. He provides intersting background on the wine, and concludes that "this stuff ain't awful." Alder continues, "This is a totally unobjectionable Chardonnay that most folks would be pleased to drink, though it displays little personality or complexity... I've certainly been served worse at some weddings I've attended."
Garry of Tales of a Sommelier went in a completely different direction and tasted a Paul Masson White Wine Carafe. The bottle can be pressed into service for vase duty, but, according to Garry, the wine itself is quite bad. He notes, "there really wasnt much taste at all, chilling it made it slightly more palatable, but barely..."
Joe and Pam of A Guy, A Girl, and A Bottle temporarily became A Couple With Cans by trying this WBW's most popular choice, Sofia Blanc de Blancs. Their podcast format captures the ensuing sound effects in high fidelity. Pam gave the sparkler a thumb up, and Joe thought the small package format would make the Sofia a good choice for mixing with other wine or spirits without having to uncork a whole champagne bottle.
Liz of LizKitchen invited a few friends over for a small group tasting and selected three Chardonnays from three continents: Banrock Station’s 2006 Chardonnay from Australia, Wine Block Chardonnay from California, and French Rabbit Chardonnay from France. The Banrock Station wine was enjoyed by all, and judged to be a good party or picnic choice. The Wine Cube earned high marks for its amazingly compact packaging, but was found to be rather mead-like. The French Rabbit drew mixed reviews, ranging from "undrinkable" and "unpleasant" to "fine."
Maarten of ChâteauBrys considered trying a single-serving wine box, but instead tried a wee (187 ml) bottle of 2002 Delicato Chardonnay from California. Maarten commented, "The Chardonnay itself is a nice US-style Chardonnay: lots of oak, grease and vanilin. For lovers only."
As noted above, if I've missed your entry or messed it up in some matter, please drop me an email. I'll publish some additional commentary on the lessons from this WBW tomorrow.
A big THANK YOU to all participants, particularly those who ended up with some not very good wines! Your reporting will save some other readers from having the same bad experience!
Real Men Drink Boxed Wine
The San Francisco Chronicle ran an interesting article by W. Blake Gray on Friday, Turn up the game, grab a burger and bust open Wines for Men. It's all about Syrah. Gray explains why Syrah, or Shiraz if you prefer, is the ideal Man's Wine:
It's Syrah, known as Shiraz in Australia, a real man's country, where they play football in shorts without helmets or clean-uniformed field goal kickers.
Why Syrah? It's a man's wine: big, bold and often high in alcohol (men don't drink for flavor alone). Syrah sometimes causes pinky-waving wine critics to use descriptors like "raw meat," "burnt rubber" and "sweat." Throw in a little gasoline and you've got yourself a tractor pull.
Gray covers a wide range of affordable Shirazes and Syrahs, including a couple of boxed products:
Because men don't like to run dry, the 2005 Banrock Station South Eastern Australia Shiraz ($18 for 3 liters) gives the equivalent of four bottles of wine for the price of two. The bag-in-box system keeps this wine, which tastes of juicy black currant with some allspice, fresh for up to four weeks, though the only way it lasts that long undrunk is if some overly cautious doctor warns you it'll interfere with your anger-control medication.
Another good bag-in-box value is the 2004 Delicato Family Vineyards California Shiraz ($18 for 3 liters), which has a strong black pepper flavor in addition to blackberries and earth. There's even a hint in the aroma of hot dogs, that classic food of barbecues, ball games and formal dinner parties (at least the good ones).
We haven't seen the Banrock Station box wines in our market, though we did review the 2004 Delicato Shiraz, and liked it a lot ("A powerful scent of spicy cherries practically bursts from the wine as you pour it. The flavor is a bit more subtle, tasting of blackberry and cherry. Overall, the flavor is balanced and quite smooth. The finish lingers with a fruity spiciness. The start and finish of this wine are so wonderful that they overshadow its pleasant flavor.") The Banrock Station Shiraz that we tried was a 2003, and in a bottle; it wasn't bad.
Naturally, most of the wines in the article are bottles - some that sound interesting are 2004 Night Harvest by R.H. Phillips California Shiraz ($8), McManis Family Vineyards California Syrah ($10), 2003 Bridlewood Central Coast Syrah ($8), 2003 Napa Ridge Napa Valley Syrah ($12). Gray seemed to like Yellow Tail Shiraz a bit more than we did, but we're looking forward to trying his suggested Smoking Loon Shiraz, as we enjoyed Smoking Loon Merlot quite a bit.
We're happy to see a media outlet like the Chronicle focusing on the kind of wines that most people are likely to encounter and drink, and look forward to future themed articles like this one.
Delicato Merlot 2005
Price: $17
Maker: Delicato Family Vineyards
Varietal: Merlot
Packaging: 3 liter box, pushbutton spigot
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10
In tasting Delicato Merlot 2005, we seem to have skipped the 2004 vintage. We last tasted Delicato Merlot 2003, and never saw 2004. In any case, the 2005 Merlot is a worthy successor. The aroma has blackberry and saddle leather notes. The wine is nicely structured, with plenty of berry, plum, and oak.
We must have timed our buy just right. The 2005 Merlot is apparently so new it's not even on the Delicato website. The box is also new, For an inexpensive Merlot, the Delicato Merlot is a great value. This wine is a perennial medal winner, and we recommend it for those who want a Merlot that's not too expensive and easy to dispense.
Delicato Merlot 2005
Price: $17
Maker: Delicato Family Vineyards
Varietal: Merlot
Packaging: 3 liter box, pushbutton spigot
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10
In tasting Delicato Merlot 2005, we seem to have skipped the 2004 vintage. We last tasted Delicato Merlot 2003, and never saw 2004. In any case, the 2005 Merlot is a worthy successor. The aroma has blackberry and saddle leather notes. The wine is nicely structured, with plenty of berry, plum, and oak.
We must have timed our buy just right. The 2005 Merlot is apparently so new it's not even on the Delicato website. The box is also new, For an inexpensive Merlot, the Delicato Merlot is a great value. This wine is a perennial medal winner, and we recommend it for those who want a Merlot that's not too expensive and easy to dispense.
Delicato Merlot 2003
Price: $16
Maker: Delicato Family Vineyards
Varietal: Merlot
Packaging: 3 liter box, pushbutton spigot
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10
We've been tasting mostly bottled wine lately, so it was nice to get back to our first love, boxed wine, by trying Delicato Merlot 2003. We found dark berries, oak, and sweet vanilla in the nose of this merlot. On the palate, we found cherry and blueberry notes, with enough tannin structure to make the wine interesting. Overall, if you are looking for a respectable merlot that offers the convenience of a box, this Delicato offering is a fine choice.
Delicato enters their wines in numerous tasting competitions, and often bags some medals. Their 2002 Merlot won a silver at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and was scored at 86 points in the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide. A year earlier, the 2001 Delicato Merlot was rated one of Wine Spectator's "100 Best Wine Values" and won gold medals both San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and the New World International Wine Competition. The vintage we tasted scored too:
- GOLD MEDAL, 2005 Monterey Wine Competition
- SILVER MEDAL, 2005 San Diego International Wine Competition
- SILVER MEDAL, 2005 Riverside International Wine Competition
- SILVER MEDAL, 2005 International Wine & Spirits Competition
- SILVER MEDAL, 2004 Riverside International Wine Competition
- SILVER MEDAL, 2004 International Wine and Spirit Competition
You may have find it easier to locate the 2004 Merlot, which has also scored multiple gold medals.