Charleston’s The Post and Courier recently ran a story, Think Inside the Box for Value Wines extolling the virtues of 1-liter boxes sold under the label, French Rabbit Wines.
Though I have made no secret of the fact that I am not a great fan of Merlots, the 2004 French Rabbit Merlot was my favorite of the line. With rich, chocolate-cherry aromas and flavors, it would marry well with just about anything from a midweek pizza to a burger. At 13 percent alcohol, it was not overly punchy, and that made it all the better as a good food, value wine.
The 2004 French Rabbit Chardonnay also was quite good. With sweet fruit and butterscotch aromas, this is about all the fruit this grape can show when it is not overly oaked. With a nice, acid finish, it would be a good match for anything from grilled chicken to a simple broiled fish fillet.
This article appeared only a few days after a similarly titled article in the San Francisco Chronicle. (Who can resist “think inside the box” as a headline? We’ll no doubt see many more.). Box wines haven’t been accepted in the US, perhaps due to the many, many years when the only boxes available were fairly awful wines from Franzia and similar brands. With continued reviews like this, though, we can hope that boxes will at least gain acceptance in the bargain wine category. Even today, many stores continue to carry only the pedestrian 5-liter wine boxes, and the superior 1-liter, 1.5 liter, and 3-liter boxes from better vintners are nowhere to be found. Keep the publicity coming…