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

Price: $10
Maker: Imported by Prestige Wine Group from Germany
Varietal: Riesling
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 9 %
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

One’s first impression of Starling Castle Riesling 2006 comes from its gorgeous bottle. The surface of the bottle is frosted, except for one polished area on the front in the shape of a bird in flight. Like the better-known Belvedere Vodka bottle, the clear spot on the front of this wine bottle lets you view an image on the opposite side, in this case an ancient castle. With the light golden color of the Riesling, it’s a very nice effect and surprising for a wine this affordable. But, enough about the bottle… Starling Castle Riesling starts with melon and peach aromas, leading into pear, pineapple, and grapefruit flavors. This wine is at the sweeter end of the spectrum for a Riesling, but is saved from being cloying by a light crispness in the finish.

Overall, Starling Castle Riesling is light, sweet, and refreshing - it would pair well with fruit or cheese. The sweetness would match up with some spicier Asian fare as well. This is kind of a light-duty wine, but overall is certainly pleasant enough.

The Prestige site notes that this wine as scored a couple of modest medals:

Silver Medal, 88 pts, “Best Buy” German Wine Challenge 2007
Silver Medal American Wine Society Commercial Wine Competition 2007

They claim the wine “was inspired by the flocks of starling birds that hover around the vines of this grand wine vineyards hoping to catch some of the golden, sweet Riesling grapes during autumn harvest.” Birds or not, this is a pleasant and attractive wine.

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Price: $4
Maker: Trader Joe’s
Varietal: Fume Blanc
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Trader Joe’s Coastal Fume Blanc 2006 is one of the last of the bargains from my last Trader Joe’s expedition. It has a mild tropical fruit nose. On the palate, it has a smooth and creamy texture, flavor notesof pineapple and melon fruit. The finish is crisp but not too dry. Overall, it is generally inoffensive - pleasant and easy to drink.

Trader Joe’s seems to do a great job with cheap wines that go down easy. We’re partial to their inexpensive reds, but this Fume Blanc is a pleasant alternative for those occasions where a white is called for and one doesn’t have much to spend.

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Price: $8
Maker: Imported by E. & J. Gallo from Pfalz, Germana
Varietal: Riesling
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, screw cap
Alcohol: 10.5%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

With its fun, informal label, Polka Dot Riesling 2006 is clearly aimed at a casual, unpretentious crowd. The wine itself reflects that attitude. This Riesling has a flowery nose with some peach in it. The flavor is sweet for this varietal, with pear, peach, and a hint of sweet pink grapefruit. It’s a pleasant, sweet wine that would go well with spicy ethnic cuisine. The other day I had a dish called simply “spicy catfish” in a Thai restaurant, and this would have paired nicely with it.

Although it’s not indicated anywhere on the label, according to Wine Business Monthly, Polka Dot Riesling is an import of E & J Gallo Winery. This wine has received a fair amount of attention in the blogosphere. For starters, we found the great illustration you see here that was created by photographer Elisa Henry. Back to the wine itself, Wineography found it “tasty” and “in keeping with its label aesthetic; it seems frivolous and fun, perfect for swilling at girly get-togethers and never to be taken too seriously. It almost tastes like California Pinot Grigio to me…” SeeGinaBlog.com tried it at the St. Louis Wine Festival and liked it. 1700 Miles of Cooking tried Polka Dot Riesling as part of a bigger group of wines, but it didn’t make the favorites list. Greedy Gretchen thinks it’s a “very good choice” when her favorite Bloom Riesling isn’t available.

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Price: $2
Maker: Alice White, Woodbridge, California
Varietal: Lexia
Packaging: 175 ml bottle, screw cap
Alcohol: 10%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

We picked up Alice White Lexia 2006 in one of the increasingly popular 175ml bottles that one finds in four packs or even in dump bins in supermarkets. It’s a convenient package for solo wine drinkers who find it difficult to finish a whole bottle before it starts to decline, and handy for situations where people can’t agree on the same wine. This Lexia (another name for Muscat of Alexandria) comes from South Eastern Australia and has aromas of peach and pineapple, with floral overtones. The fruitiness continues in the flavor, with sweet pineapple, melon, and apricot notes. There’s a hint of acidity in the finish, but a bit more would have added some welcome crispness. We paired Alice White Lexia with spicy Hunan chicken, and the combination worked nicely. If your taste runs to a sweet wine with tropical fruit flavors, you could do a lot worse.

Bloggers have mixed opinions on Alice White Lexia. Robert and Marjorie thought it like “a viognier with self-esteem problems” and found it “inoffensive but unfulfilling.” The Vinicode bought it by mistake, but loved the nose and found it a “sweet surprise.” Lyndon at Words Less Spoken expected a dry wine, but found its sweet nature refreshing for hot weather drinking. Chloe, meanwhile, compared Alice White Lexia to “a mixture of Chanel no 5 and pears” and wasn’t keen on the wine’s minimal alcohol content. The Alice White reviews page lists some favorable press reaction to their Lexia.

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Price: $9
Maker: Corbett Canyon Vineyards
Varietal: Chardonnay
Packaging: 3 liter box, twist spigot
Alcohol: 12.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Corbett Canyon Chardonnay 2005 was a favorite in Wine Blogging Wednesday #31. Despite its modest price - ounce for ounce, it’s cheaper than Two Buck Chuck from Charles Shaw except in California (where Two Buck Chuck really costs $2 a bottle) - Citizen Wine’s blind tasting event picked the Corbett Canyon Chardonnay as one of the best whites. We’re not big Chardonnay drinkers, but we finally decided to sample this wine. The nose wasn’t overwhelming, but had cut grass and tart apple notes. On the palate, this wine was crisp and refreshing, with Granny Smith apple and mild pear notes leading into a slightly acidic finish.

Corbett Canyon may not be the finest or most complex Chardonnay available, but for under $10 for a 3-liter cask it’s a steal. It’s fine for party use or for glass-a-day drinkers who can’t put much of a dent in a 750 ml bottle and hate to see wine spoil. I suppose the fact that a cheap Chardonnay can be fairly decent shouldn’t be much of a surprise after Charles Shaw Chardonnay took top honors at the California State Fair wine competition.

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In a decision that will surely make Fred Franzia grin and every other California winemaker cringe, Charles Shaw Chardonnay was judged to the the best example of that varietal from California:

The Charles Shaw 2005 California chardonnay (yes, the $1.99 “Two Buck Chuck” made by Bronco Wine Company sold at Trader Joe’s) was judged Best Chardonnay from California at California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition.

The chardonnay received 98 points, a double gold, with accolades of Best of California and Best of Class.

“Since we judge all wines totally by variety without different brackets for price, this double-gold achievement by the Bronco winemakers is astounding,” said G.M. Pucilowski, chief judge and director of the competition. [From Napa Valley Register]

We liked the Charles Shaw Chardonnay when we tasted it, though we didn’t quite score it as our best Chardonnay ever. We did suggest that it could be passed off as a much more expensive wine, and apparently the California judges reached the same conclusion.

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I was in Chicago on business, and stumbled across a WineStyles store in Woodridge, IL. Through a stroke of luck, I picked the day of a wine tasting to stop in. Luck o’ the Irish, I guess… I tried a few wines:

Chateau de Paraza hails fom Languedoc, France, and was a very light wine that was well-balanced and, despite its light nature, had some nice fruit and spice. As the first wine tasted, it was great - I almost bought a bottle. After sampling some bigger reds and retasting this wine, it seemed to have lost some of its appeal. I think it would be a nice red when you don’t want to overwhelm a mild food pairing.

Maxwell Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. This Cab had a great aroma with berry and vanilla notes, and a big, bold flavor. On the palate, there were cherry, blackberry and oak notes. Despite decanting, though, the wine was a bit tannic in its finish. Still, it had a lot of flavor - perhaps a bit more air would have evened it out.

Liberty School Syrah 2004. This was a bonus wine not on the tasting list, and it wasn’t bad at all. We found blackberries and anise in the nose, and more berries and licorice on the palate. A pleasant Syrah.

Rudulf Muller Riesling. This seemed like quite a sweet Riesling, with peach, pear, and grapefruit flavors. Surprisingly, the sweetess wasn’t cloying - the finish was quite clean.

Nettare Moscato D’Asti. I’m not a huge fan of sweet, sparkling wines, and this sweet sparkler was pleasant but failed to excite.

This was my first visit to a WineStyle shop, and it was quite nice. It’s a franchise, and there are more than 150 locations around the U.S. This store was located in an upscale retail center, and the store featured faux cave-like nooks to hold the wine bottles. The staff seemed knowledgeable enough, and when I first looked in one of the owners was manning the counter. The most impressive thing to me was the volume of wine that seemed to be going out the door, at least in part driven by a 6 for $60 special on wines that normally sold for well over $10. There also was a wine club that seemed to be popular. In the half hour that I was there, a lot of wine was sold.

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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.

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One category that we’ve never looked at specifically is that of kosher wines. Perhaps we’ve been overlooking a good thing, at least according to Tastings: Top Kosher Wines in the Times Herald-Record, quoting wine critic David Rogov:

“As recently as a decade ago, had anyone asked me to compile a list of 50 world-class kosher wines, I would have smiled politely and tried hard not to start giggling,” he says. “Today, with fine kosher wines becoming increasingly available, it is becoming rapidly apparent that there is no contradiction whatever between the laws of kashrut and the production of truly excellent wines.”

Rogov’s top value picks for kosher red wines were,

“1. Galil Mountain, Cabernet Sauvignon, Israel, 2005. 89 points. Medium- to full-bodied, with near-sweet tannins and plum and berry fruits, spices and a tantalizing overlay of mushrooms. ($13)
2. Dalton, Shiraz, Reserve, Israel, 2004. 88 points. Medium- to full-bodied, with soft tannins and moderate smoky oak, highlighting aromas and flavors of plums, currants and berries. ($12)
3. Baron Philippe, Mouton Cadet, Bordeaux, France, 2005. 87 points. Garnet toward purple, medium- to full-bodied, with soft tannins integrating well. Light spicy wood highlights blackberry and currant fruits. ($11)”

It looks like the best overall were kosher dessert wines:

“1. Chateau Guiraud, Sauternes, France, 2001 (kosher edition). 95 points. Deep golden yellow, with a creamy texture and herbal sweetness. On the nose and palate, honeyed peaches, apples and citrus matched nicely by generous spiciness. ($80)

2. Yarden, Noble Semillon Botrytis, Israel, 2004. 92 points. Golden in color, concentrated and balanced. Shows dried apricots, orange peel, toasty oak and tropical fruits along with deep honeyed spices. ($34)

3. Langer, Tokaji, Aszu, Hungary, 1998. 91 points. On the nose and palate, dried summer fruits, citrus peel and oriental spices, matched by fine acidity to balance the generous sweetness. Long and elegant. ($55)”

Check out the full article for more kosher wine ideas just in time for Passover. We wandered around the blogosphere a bit, and found quite a few recent posts on the topic. The Kosher Blog commented in The Annual WSJ Kosher Wine Column that the column was mostly a rehash of previous years’ efforts. JSpot.org has a lengthy philosophical discussion of the topic in Reform Movement: Drunk on kosher wine? In Kosher Wine, Not Like It Used To Be! the Wine Store Blog points out that kosher wines are no longer “very sweet, or painfully dry” but come in a range of varietals.

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Just had a chance to taste some interesting wines at a local tasting, and I thought I’d share some fragmentary notes:

Kunde Sauvignon Blanc 2005. Melon and peach notes, slightly acidic finish.
Frei Brothers Chardonnay 2005. Not your usual Chardonnay. Strong vanilla flavors, with a moderately astringent finish. Definitely not an over-oaked chard.
Bridlewood Viognier 2005. Another quite different selection. Tropical notes, not too dry, and clean on the palate.
MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir 2005 (Sonoma Coast). I found this to be an unusually pleasant Pinot Noir - it offered big, bold plum, berry, and cherry notes, and a smooth finish. I tend to complain that some Pinot Noirs are a bit thin (or subtle, if you prefer), but this one is neither thin nor subtle. Recommended.
Gloria Ferrer Carneros Merlot 2002. Strong berry nose with some woody/leather notes, big rounded flavor featuring a great balance of blackberry and cherry, oak, and spice leading into a long finish. This was a big, well balanced Merlot, and my favorite of the evening.
Bridlewood Syrah 2004 (Central Coast). A nice, well-balanced Syrah with blackberry, oak, and black pepper flavors.
Frei Brothers Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. We finished with this rich cab. Lots of dark berry and oak complexity, with a long finish. Highly drinkable.

The big winner for me was the Gloria Ferrer Carneros Merlot; I liked the Frei Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon and the MacMurray Ranch Merlot quite a bit, too. This was quite an unusual tasting - I liked all of the wines, and every red (including Red Rock Merlot, not described above) were wines that I’d buy.

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