Box Wines
A wine blog with news and reviews of affordable wines

Price: $9
Maker: Funky Llama
Variety: Tempranillo
Packaging: Bottle, artificial cork
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Tempranillo tends to be a lighter wine than many other reds, but Funky Llama Tempranillo 2004 is no wimpy wine. It has a prominent raspberry jam nose. On the palate, it’s juicy but well balanced, with red berries and cherries up front and a lengthy finish that’s a bit spicy and tart. This Tempranillo has a lot of character, and will stand up to heavier fare than most examples of this varietal.

Funky Llama has a nice marketing approach - a cute name suggestive of South America, brightly-colored neon corks, and drinkable wines. Not a bad approach in a crowded market for cheap wines.

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Price: $16
Maker: Vinalia SA, Mendoza, Argentina
Varietal: Malbec
Packaging: 3 liter box, pushbutton spigot
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Vaca Morada Malbec is the first new boxed red wine we’ve found in a while, and we’re glad we did. This non-vintage wine (termed a 2006 by the importer) from Argentina has a leathery nose backed up with raspberries and spice. The flavor is juicy and well balanced, with dark berry notes combining with chocolate and light pepper. Light acidity perks up the finish and balances the fruit. Vaca Morada Malbec is a pleasant and accessible wine that will please a variety of red wine drinkers.

“Vaca Morada” is Spanish for “purple cow” - an apt name for this reddish purple wine. Oddly for a “critter” name, there’s no cow image on the American import box - that would seem to limit its marketing impact when stacked against competition like Funky Llama, Yellow Tail, and the rest of the critter crew. The Vinalia website seems to be mostly under construction. One thing we find encouraging about this wine is that it’s the first boxed wine not from the U.S. or Australia that we’ve seen in our local market (which is admittedly limited). It’s great to see both a less common varietal like Malbec as well as a less common wine exporter like Argentina showing up on the neighborhood shelves, and even better to have it be a fine wine for parties or glass-a-day dinner companion.

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Price: $8
Maker: Funky Llama
Variety: Cabernet Savignon
Packaging: Bottle, artificial cork
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

When we reviewed the Funky Llama Shiraz, we mentioned the yellow artificial cork that’s so bright it practically glows in the dark. The Funky Llama Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 features the same colorful stopper, complete with llama.

The Funky Llama cab, like the Shiraz, isn’t particularly distinguished. The aroma is faint, mostly of spice and berry. The flavor starts with promise - a sort of plummy roundness. As it progresses, though, the tannins kick in and overwhelm the fruit. The finish, like the Funky Llama Shiraz, has a slight bitterness. Serve this one with grilled beef, and avoid serving it solo.

This brand gets high marks for branding and packaging, but the contents of the bottle don’t match the expectations established by the exterior.

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Price: $9
Maker: Funky Llama
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: Bottle, artificial cork
Our Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Wine packaging seems to have two major variants these days - traditional packaging designed to imply centuries of winemaking, and funky, playful, modernistic packaging designed to appeal to a casual wine-buyer. Funky Llama Shiraz is definitely in the latter category. We picked up a bottle on sale for a fairly amazing $5, hoping to venture back for a dozen more if the tasting went well.

The first thing one notices is the bright yellow cork. It nearly glows with neon intensity, and features a picture of a llama. It’s a nice touch - no wine damage from spoiled corks, and a marketing boost from a cork likely to attract the attention of everyone in the room. A year from now, a brightly colored cork may be no big thing, but at the moment it stands out.

If only the wine were as distinctive as its cork. The aroma is faintly floral, and the color is a nice, deep red. The wine combines moderately weak dark berry flavor with spiciness; it’s a bit thin compared to bolder Shirazes. The finish is faintly bitter and peppery. It’s not a bad wine overall for the price, but there are others in this range that are better.

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