The Second Glass

I know, I know… there is some really great box wine out there. But my inner wine snob just cannot cannot get over the packaging. Where’s my embossed bottle? My fancy pants hand-painted label? What about my cork collection? However for this month’s Wine Blog Wednesday, I forced myself to cast aside all preconceived notions and jump on the box wine bandwagon.

My choice, based upon the recommendation of Formaggio Kitchen’s Wine Buyer Phil Conroy, was Las Courreges; an offering of 100% Cinsault from the Minervois region of the French Languedoc-Roussillon. Despite the fact that most box-wine is dismissed as mass produced plonk, this one is actually biodynamically produced, unfiltered and uses all natural yeasts in its production. My inner wine geek was also intrigued by the use of one single obscure varietal, while my outer cheapskate was intrigued by the price tag: $31.95 for 5 liters or around 6 or 7 bottles of wine. This works out for less than $5.50 per bottle - sign me up!

Despite the fact that I felt a bit like Steve Martin in “The Jerk” with his Bubbler o’ Bordeaux when I dispensed the first glass of this translucent crimson bad boy, I was actually pleasantly surprised. A delightfully fresh burst of cherry, followed by a nervy acidity and lengthy finish demonstrated that this featherweight contender actually had some muscle. Its brisk biting qualities makes it a wonderful aperitif - tricky territory for a red wine - and even better with food: cheese, meat, seafood or vegetable there is little that it wouldn’t handle with aplomb. The packaging claims that it will still be good a month after being opened - stay tuned for further updates