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

Price: $14
Maker: Imported by International Cellars, Madera, California
Varietal: Shiraz
Packaging: 3 liter box, push-button spigot
Alcohol: 13%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

A new arrival in several local wine shops was the non-vintage Box Star Shiraz. The first wine that we’ve tried from this brand - they have a Chardonnay, a Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon in the series. The nose has spice, licorice, and weak berry notes. The flavor starts with juicy cherries and currants, chocolate, and slides smoothly into a spicy finish with a tannin bite. All in all, this is a respectable enough wine for everyday drinking or low-key party use.

We weren’t able to learn much about the background of this wine. It’s imported by International Cellars of Madera, CA. The wine itself is from Australia. There’s no website listed on the packaging, and none of the International Cellars we located on the Web seemed to be the one offering Box Star wines. Distribution for the product seems to be ramping up, though, so we expect to see more of this brand in the future. It’s nice to see a new brand of box wine pop up from nowhere, and we’ll report on some of the other wines from Box Star soon.

Price: $9
Maker: Corbett Canyon Vineyards
Varietal: Merlot
Packaging: 3 liter box, twist spigot
Alcohol: 12.5%
Our Rating: 7 out of 10

We’ve avoided Corbett Canyon products for a while, but after some good reports on their Chardonnay in the WBW we hosted, we broke down and picked up a box of Corbett Canyon Merlot 2005. There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that Corbett Canyon Merlot may be slightly better than the other low end boxed Merlots usually sold in 5-liter containers. The bad news is that it doesn’t compare to any of the other 3 liter Merlots one will find in a well-stocked wine store. The nose was interesting, with a leathery tobacco emphasis and an unusual butterscotch note. The flavor, unfortunately, didn’t quite measure up. It was plummy and slightly sweet for a Merlot, with a metallic character. It’s not a complex wine, and seems likely to appeal mainly to those who might be trying to transition from wine coolers to “real” wines. The twist spigot exhibits the slight dribble tendency we’ve come to expect from that closure; it doesn’t leak, but a few seconds after pouring a glass it’s prone to releasing one more drop.

All in all, Corbett Canyon Merlot 2005 is closer in character to some of the ultra-cheap 5 liter boxes than more upscale 3 liter boxes. Skip this one unless budget is paramount. We’d consider it a 3-liter pretender - we often suggest to box wine newbies that they avoid the 5 liter boxes entirely and try a 3-liter. This Merlot is likely to put them off wine boxes completely.

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.

Price: $18
Maker: Killer Juice Vineyards, Ripon, California
Variety: Chardonnay
Packaging: 3-liter box
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 9 out of 10

Killer Juice Chardonnay 2005 is, along with Angel Juice Pinot Grigio, one of the two boxed white wines marketed by Underdog Wine Merchants. The two names are surprisingly appropriate, as the two whites are practically polar opposites. While Angel Juice is a light, barely there wine, Killer Juice Chardonnay is big, rich, and creamy. The nose is spice and tropical fruit. The flavor is peach, pineapple, and mango, with some oak, spice, and light acidity in the finish. The finish lingers, but is clean and tangy. This chard is almost syrupy in texture.

Chardonnay isn’t our favorite varietal, but we liked Killer Juice Chardonnay 2005 a lot. This is one of the most pleasant Chardonnays we’ve tasted recently, whether in box or bottle. Unlike some California Chardonnays, the Killer Juice is neither overly dry nor overly oaky, and that makes it very appealing.

3-liter box wines are now the fastest growing category of wine packages, according to an AP story in The Napa Valley Register, Box wine becomes something worth toasting by AP Business Writer Lauren Shepherd.

Box wine is now the fastest growing wine category. According to data from AC Nielsen, three liter box wine volume grew 44 percent in the past year, compared to a three percent gain in overall table wine volume. “It’s gaining tremendous acceptance by the consumer,” said Ben Dollard, president of Pacific Wine Partners, a division of Constellation Brands. “It’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

The article also contains information about the changing demographics of boxed wine consumers:

According to a 2005 Constellation Brands consumer study called Project Genome, wine drinkers can be sifted into six different categories based on their preferences and attitudes about wine. Leslie Joseph, vice president of consumer research at Constellation Brands, said the research found that three-liter buyers mainly fit into the “image-seeker” category populated with younger males eager to be seen as trendy and hip.

“They’re the people with the newest toys,” Joseph said. And “they like to educate their friends.”

The age range of the average box wine drinker has been changing, though, Insel said.

Most people assumed the new wine was mainly for the millennials — or those drinkers who turned 21 after 2000 — who were “looking for a cool new unpretentious way to drink wine”, Insel said, “but baby boomers are buying it now.”

The road to becoming an acceptable bottle alternative to both the younger and the older generations has taken years. To attract them, Dollard’s brands — which include Black Box, Blackstone Winery and Hardy’s — focused first on how to bring elegance to the box.

This is one of the lengthier and more detailed articles we’ve seen on the boxed wine topic - well worth a read if you are interested in the business side of wines.

Price: $18
Maker: Trove Wines, Madera, California
Variety: Merlot
Packaging: 3-liter box
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Trove Merlot 2004 styles itself as an upscale boxed wine. By and large, it’s not bad. This Merlot has a great, juicy aroma… all berries, with spicy overtones. The flavor is plummy, with plenty of oak and a pepper finish. The balance isn’t bad, but we’d like to see brighter fruit notes and more complexity.

The Trove web site at trove-wines.com seems to be defunct, at least at the moment. Trove is a brand of Constellation Wines - why can’t these wineries manage to keep a website operational? This is the second review I’ve worked on in the last hour or two, and the second dead website.

In any case, Trove Merlot justifies its self-styled upscale box image. It’s not a great Merlot, but is equivalent to a $5 - $10 California or Australian bottle in quality. If you are looking for a party red, or for a wine to pour at the rate of a glass per day, Trove Merlot may serve you well.

A boxed wine cracked the top 100 list of affordable Bordeaux wines compiled by the Bordeaux Wine Bureau.

The Selection Process: Today’s Bordeaux were selected from more than 270 wines nominated by importers and retailers across the country priced $8 to $25 retail. In February 2007, the jury tasted all entries grouped by price in a blind panel. Wines were selected in the top 100 that were an excellent representation of Bordeaux within the given price range

FreeRange Red Bordeaux 2005 was the only box wine to make the top 100 list in the blind taste test. It was also one of the least expensive, competing with wines that cost up to $25 per bottle.

Congratulations to FreeRange for putting a box wine into such an elite group!

Price: $18
Maker: Black Box Wines, Madera, California
Varietal: Merlot
Packaging: 3-liter box
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Black Box Merlot 2004 is a decent enough Merlot, though we fail to see why many people seem to hold up Black Box as the pinnacle of bag-in-box wines. The aroma is nice, with pepper, clove, and berry notes. The flavor offers some cherry and blackberry notes, with quite a bit of oak and a medium spicy finish. There’s not a lot of complexity, and the feel is a bit generic, but it’s an adequate red wine.

The 2003 vintage of Black Box Merlot won a Gold Medal at the Los Angeles County Fair and was named a “Best Buy” by Wine Enthusiast. We’re kind of sorry we missed that year.

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!

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!