In Defense of Boxed Wine

      I’m not talking about Franzia, which I firmly believe should be reserved for college parties and “slapping the bag”. Changes in consumption patterns and packaging innovations have led manufacturers to rethink the standard cork and bottle. The result is a number of palatable and quality wines available, for your convenience, in a box.

Here are a few reasons to consider ditching the bottle:

1. More for your money: A standard box of wine contains four 750 ml bottles, at an average price of between $15-$25. Since I generally plan to spend around $10 a bottle, these boxes are well under my budget and come without the headache of a cheap $5 wine.
2. Stays fresh longer: Although traditionalists may turn their noses up at anything other than cork, alternate sealing methods like plastic corks, screw tops and bagged/boxed wine have proven just as effective at keeping unopened wine from spoiling. In fact, boxed wines which actually come in a vacuum sealed bag with an airtight spout, ensure that only what you’ve poured will be exposed to oxygen, keeping the rest of the box as fresh as an unopened bottle. This comes in handy if you live in a one or two person household where you generally won’t (or shouldn’t) finish an entire bottle in one night.
3. Easy on the go: Maybe it goes back to my days in Florence, where hikes up to Piazzale Michelangelo with a bottle of wine and some bread were a standard Friday or Saturday night occurrence, but I love enjoying a glass of wine outside. While boxed wine’s value makes it great for serving at house parties, it’s also easy to take with you. Backyard barbeques, block parties, picnics and any place that’s BYOB are perfect occasions for boxed wine.
4. Environmentally friendly: The boxes are easily recyclable and some, like the BotaBox are even made from recycled materials.

I started buying boxed wine, not only for the sake of researching this post, but also because of my limited budget. It also eliminated frequent trips to the store and the possibility of accidentally finishing the bottle by myself in one night. Here’s what I’ve tried. I’ve found them all to be very drinkable and tasty everyday wines.

Black Box Merlot – Wine Enthusiast Best Buy 2010

BotaBox RedVolution – a touch on the sweet side 

BotaBox Cabernet Sauvignon – lighter and a little less sweet than the blend – Wine Enthusiast Best Buy 2011

Big House Red – quite possibly my favorite of the bunch, light and a little spicy - great for the upcoming warmer months!

And for those of you who prefer white wine, my favorite brands have white counterparts that come highly recommended:

 I’m looking forward to trying Pepperwood Grove’s “Big Green Box” (I’m already a big fan of their Pinot Noir) and the Italian Fiori Strada “Off Road” Sangiovese. 

And there’s more where that came from… Feel free to comment with your favorite boxed wine!

Cheers to thinking (and drinking) inside the box!

Handcraft Petite Sirah

      I rarely drink Petite Sirah, the only reason being that I don’t know much about it. As I’ve shared in earlier posts, my mom is more of a Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon drinker so those are what I have become most familiar with. Aside from those, the bulk of my wine knowledge is Italian and most typical retailers carry little more than a few Chiantis. Because of this, and my limited wine budget, I often select something that I know. That is, unless someone in the store offers a recommendation. This is how I came to discover what might be my new favorite wine. 

      According to Wineaccess.com, the petite in Petite Sirah refers to the size of the grapes, whose high skin to juice ratio produces the type of tannic and acidic wines that have the potential to age very well. Although first created in France's Rhone Valley, these grapes now thrive in California's drier climate, making regions like Napa Valley and Paso Robles your best bet for finding a high quality Petite Sirah. These full bodied wines are characterized by jammy fruit flavors like blackberry with hints of black pepper and licorice, and pair well with steaks, roasts and game. 

      At an average of $11 a bottle, Handcraft Petite Sirah is smooth and fruity with a delicious peppery finish and hints of vanilla. It was also named by the Wine Enthusiast as one of the top 100 best buys for 2013. I highly recommend it to Merlot or Cabernet drinkers who are looking for something a little different. 

NYE Special: Sparkling Wines

      We are just hours away from ringing in the new year, but there's still time to run out for a bottle of bubbly. If, like me, you've only recently outgrown those $6 bottles of Andre, here are a few of my favorite picks. Although I'm not a huge fan of their wine, Barefoot makes a surprisingly tasty champagne for the price. At around $8 a bottle, Barefoot Bubbly comes in a number of varieties from Brut, to Moscato and even a few different flavors. Having studied abroad in Italy, I'm partial to Prosecco. My favorite brands are Cupcake, which is around $10 a bottle, and LaMarca which is a little more expensive at $13 a bottle but absolutely worth it.  Prosecco is an excellent substitute for champagne and can be found in excellent qualities for much less because of the way it's made. Sparkling wines are created by fermenting the grapes a second time. This can be done in two ways: the Classic method, in which the wines are bottled and then re-fermented, is used in Champagne production, while Prosecco is produced using the Charmat method, in which the wine is fermented a second time in bulk before bottling. The Classic method of production is much more delicate and time consuming and results in much higher prices for quality Champagnes.

And in the spirit of the new year, why not try something a little different for your toast? Here are a few easy sparkling wine mixers to spice up 2014:

 Pomosa: add a little bit of pomegranate juice (it's pretty strong) to champagne

 Add raspberries and mint leaves to champagne 

 Pour Prosecco over lemon sorbet 

Champagne float

Those are just a few of my favorites, but you can really do this with almost any fruit or juice so get creative in the new year! 

I also learned that in Spain, it's tradition to eat twelve grapes in the last twelve seconds of the new year, one for each month. If you're entertaining tonight, try placing skewers of twelve grapes in each glass of champagne, either frozen to keep your drinks cold, or unfrozen so you're able to eat all twelve right before midnight! 

Cheers to a wonderful New Year! See you in 2014!

Wine Advent Calendar

      Growing up I always loved counting down the days to Christmas on an advent calendar. Every year the days tick by faster and as quickly as it came the holiday season is over. I think it’s important to stop each day and take a minute to just enjoy the holidays. So while you’re wrapping presents or sitting by the fire and listening to Christmas music, treat yourself to an advent calendar of wine! (As if we needed an excuse to open a new bottle every night…) This is a really fun idea especially if you always have drinking buddies on hand like family, roommates, or neighbors.

Here’s how it works:

1. Pick your wines. They can be all of your favorite wines, ones you’ve never tried before or a mix of both. You could pick a theme like wines from around the world, or, if you plan on drinking your advent calendar with a group, have everyone bring a couple of selections. If you’re buying all the wine yourself, make sure you go somewhere with a good selection that won’t break the bank. Costco sells a pretty good selection of foreign and domestic wines at a discount. A lot of retailers (like Twin Liquors here in Austin) also give discounts when you buy six bottles of wine.
2. Buy stickers or bags to label the wines for each day. Brown paper bags are an easy and cheap way to label the wines and keep each day’s selection a surprise. You can distribute the wines randomly or have someone organize them specifically, for example lightest to darkest, or having champagne for the 24^th or 25^th.
3. Reveal and drink on each chosen day!

If you’re thinking a bottle a night for 25 days is a little excessive, you can change this around to best suit your drinking needs. Maybe pick the dates of each Friday and Saturday night leading up to Christmas, or start your advent calendar late so it only runs one or two weeks. Another idea is to use mini bottles of wine instead of the full 750ml bottles.

However you do it, his advent calendar is a great excuse to get together with the ones you love and celebrate the holiday season!

Wine Pairing for Thanksgiving and Other Holiday Meals

      I know this post is coming a week late but if your Thanksgiving was anything like mine, you’re still working on that leftover turkey. And if not, the holidays are upon us. So whether you’re serving turkey or some other festive bird, we’re all bound to be doing some entertaining!

      The Whole Foods website is a great source for wine knowledge, especially when it comes to food pairing and entertaining. Just check out their wine section under store departments http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/department/wine. They published this excellent guide for pairing wines with typical holiday dishes.

      If you didn’t find your holiday dish on this pairing guide, or if your preferences differ, here are some overall guidelines for pairing wine with food:

1. Try to match the intensity of the wine to the strongest flavors on the plate. For example if you’re serving a chicken with a more intense, robust sauce, you might want to pair it with a more robust wine, even a red.
2. Balance similar elements in wine and food, like smoked foods with oaky wines.  Pairings like acidic wine with acidic food will create a harmonizing effect rather than intensifying the acidity.
3. Keep in mind that some flavor elements in your food will change your perception of a wine, and vice-versa, BUT that doesn’t mean you should ignore your own preferences or those of your guests.  Everyone is different, so your favorite wine – whatever the meal – is never the wrong choice.

      Finally, if you're looking to serve something a little more festive than just wine, here's a recipe I found for Apple Cider Holiday Sangria!

1 standard (750 ml) bottle of pinot grigio

2 1/2 cups fresh apple cider

1 cup club soda

1/2 cup ginger brandy

3 honey crisp apples, chopped

3 pears, chopped

Combine and refrigerate for about an hour before serving. I like to wait to add the club soda until right before serving so it doesn't go flat.

  





Happy Holidays and Happy Entertaining!