From the other thread:

Point me towards a good claret (Hess Cabernet Sauvignon is an example of the quality I'm talking about) and I'll buy it. Although, drinking 4 bottles in a month is probably more than I can finish.

Re-posted from the other thread:

I, also, must speak up in defensive of boxed wines-at least some of them. Yes, they are hit and miss and are much dependent on personal taste- like nearly all food. The advantage of being able to pour myself just one glass without worrying about the bottle going bad is worth testing various boxes for. Husband and I have had good luck with the "Black Box" brand, esp with Shirazes.

Don't they make wine in Capri Sun type pouches now? It's like a juice box for grown ups!

Those reasons sure are "compelling." Good thing I don't read Sunset Magazine - now I know I never will.

It's hard to give credence to such mediocrity after having drunk the following on Saturday night at Eleven Madison Park:

Domaine Des Comtes Lafon
2004 Mersault Desiree
2004 Volnay Santenots-Du-Milieu 1er

Robert (TSO) I have tried a number of different box of wines, and while I dont know the Hess Cab you mentioned, I would recommend Black Box Cab. Its very drinkable, and putting it in a carafe/decanter would probably help open it up more.

Put it this way: I've had a LOT of wines from a bottle (costing more per ml) that I would pass over in favor of another Black Box.

White wine drinkers: you can hardly tell the difference anyway, since the wine will be chilled, might as well save some $ and get a box. You know it'll be fresh too!

Although, drinking 4 bottles in a month is probably more than I can finish.

Book's not much of a drinker?

Some years ago in Spain, we regularly bought little boxes of wine to take with us as we drove through the country having picnics between towns. They were sized for one person (or two more temperate people), and they were delicious, locally -produced wines that we would drink with bread and cheese and fruit that we'd buy in the markets.

There's no reason--other than aesthetics--that good wine can't come in a box.

But Elizabeth, that's why a box o' wine is PERfect for house wine! The vacuum bag keeps out air so every glass tastes good. Because of space limitations, I keep my occasional box o' wine purchase in a fridge in the garage. I'll fill a carafe and forget about it til the next time I need something from that fridge, and say to myself, "Oh yeah, the wine," and fill a carafe. I've kept wine boxes up to three months with no loss of quality.

We need a wine "throw down". How about figuring out the particulars on a boxed vs. bottle blind taste test? EL: do you have any ideas on how we could get this done?

Let me think on this. And, of course, suggestions welcome. EL

Hmmmm!!! a wine snob and a name dropper. LOL

Once again Rosebud took the words right out of my mouth.

As I said on the pseudo-Bagel blog, boxes are great for cruises -- less weight, virtually unbreakable, long life. And I'll second the Black Box recommendation; the Chardonnay drinker in the house thought it was eminently drinkable. Three liters. Less than $18. And we hear that Target's boxed wines are good, too. They're our next project as we prepare for a Fall cruise.

'a good claret (Hess Cabernet Sauvignon'. Are we talking about a Hess Select or Hess Collection?

Get a box for everyday drinkin'; and some bottles for guests of a certain ilk {IOW, those you wanna impress}.
One caveat: whenever we have 3 liters just sitting there, we tend to "go to it" more than would be usual. You have to be on your guard if say, it's summer, and you're not working....
Having said that, honey & me like to go to the Wine Source, have a free tasting, and when we buy a mixed, glass case, and they subtract 20% off the total, it's a darn good deal.
Buy the box if you need to, but you won't save all that much.
And the quality is still better in bottles you pick yourself.

If you did a wine "throw down" I guess you'd have to compare the same varietals. I don't agree with Mather "that you can hardly tell the difference anyway, since the wine will be chilled." Whites may be chilled but not cold, and as they warm a bit they have distinctive characteristics. We tasted 5 different Sav Blancs like Columbia Crest, Monkey Bay, Kim Crawford, etc and all had a different nose and taste.

Boxed wine!

It's like 11th grade all over again!

We used to tear off the box, hold up the plastic bag of wine and squeeze it into our mouths for maximum drunkage in minimum timeage.

Franzia. Roll the 'R' when you say it.

Fr-r-r-r-r-ranzia!

Having said that, honey & me like to go to the Wine Source, have a free tasting, and when we buy a mixed, glass case, and they subtract 20% off the total, it's a darn good deal.
Buy the box if you need to, but you won't save all that much.

Mixed cases are a great way to buy wine, although apparently I'm not as suave as Dave...my wine store only gives a 15% discount on mixed cases (20% on "unmixed" cases).

And the quality is still better in bottles you pick yourself.

If you cultivate a good wine guy that learns your tastes (mine is Dave at Broadway Liquors), you don't even have to pick the bottles yourself.

Geez, when I was in 11th grade we got stuck with Boone's Farm. Now, that was a wine. (NOT)!

About a wine throw down--I have read that a majority of tasters can't distinguish a red from a white wine if they are blindfolded. Makes me wonder ...

Wine source offers the 20% but so does North Charles Fine Wine, the little wine shop next to Eddies of Roland Park on Chas St.

They also have the good boxed wine: Black Box!

Mmmm...Boone's Farm. "Serve very cold." Love it.And I'm not even kidding.

I can back up one of the Sunset Mag recommendations. A couple of years ago, my husband went on a 6 day camping trip on a remote island in northern Michigan (and yes, that does sound like my own personal hell).

He and his camping friend took their wine in bags and said it was the perfect method of transport. Also, after a couple of nights of getting in the tent by 7:30 to avoid the bat-sized mosquitos, I think they were just relieved to have anything at all to drink.

See, this is what happens when I leave the sandbox for a few hours.

1) Yes, Book tries to stay dry; gets very cranky when wet.

2) I'm talking about Hess Select. Its about $10, retail and under $30 on wine lists. Very nice oaky nose when first opened. (Not trying to be a snob, but if I'm having a good meal, why would I drink drek?)

3) I can't really comment on whites. About all I drink is claret (covering all the cab variations and countries of origin.)

I loved box o'wine when I was in high school. My parents couldn't mark the bottle to tell I drank it. Therefore I will never have it in my house when I have kids. I have not had any since then so I can't comment on the quality of late. After an bad experience in college I can't even look at Boone's Farm anymore.

' About all I drink is claret (covering all the cab variations and countries of origin.)' Hate to be picky, but I thought claret is a British term for red Bordeaux (French).

My aversion to mediocre wines started in high school where my friends insisted on drinking Andre Champagne. Ugh.

By freshman year of college, I started making trips to Napa Valley to see what was going on.

I remember a little church in Southport, UK. Catholic it was... they had a full bar on premise. They also had wine in cans. Not to be served with the body of Christ, but for before or after mass.

I can't do it. I just can't. I am not a wine snob. A friend of mine just graduated from CIA and has brought me awesome cheap wines. My favorite red costs $10 for the big bottle. I just can't do wine in a box. Or wine with a screw cap. I just can't.

Our bubbly of choice way back when was Cold Duck. I don't know if it's around anymore. I haven't looked & I don't plan to.

A friend of mine, recuperating from a dreadful seige of pain (an understatement!) and the surgery that followed, served her visitors box wine. She was able to do the spout whereas she couldn't lift even a small bottle, much less uncork one. I thought it was pretty good wine, although my favorite part of wine drinking is always the friends I'm drinking with.....

Mr. D., I agree that claret is red Bordeaux (French), but the budget doesn't allow me that pleasure exclusively and more importantly, some of the nicest wines in this broad group are blends of more than one grape. So, its not accurate to say I drink primarily Cabernet Sauvignon when you throw in Merlot and Cabernet Franc. So, I tried to broaden the definition to cover the international category.

Now for a question for those who like Black Box (because I am far to parsimonious to but a 3 liter box of wine that will sit on my kitchen counter unused after the first pour), can you provide some comments, beyond, it's pretty good. What style of red is it? What grapes are used in the making? Dry? Sweet?

It's not that I wouldn't drink a boxed wine, but like many others, I am inclined it think box wine = Boone's Farm. I mean really, when was the last time Robert Parker reviewed a box o' wine?

Sorry, Rosebud, but Gallo is still churning out Andre Cold Duck.

I say we skip all this boxed wine talk and go straight for the Mad Dog 20/20.

Carey, if you've ever had the misfortune to taste a corked wine, or one that has deteriorated badly because of an ill-fitting cork, you'll quickly learn why screw caps are (to quote Martha you-know-who) "a good thing"!

RtSO, I know exactly what you were saying. Just trying to mess with you. I have this thing about some of the invented wine terms. I'm sure the French were more than a little irritated by the Brits calling their wine 'pale red'. But that was old history. I have problems with some other American grape varietals terms. Meritage comes to mind. What's wrong with just calling them Bordeaux Blend or wine from Bordeaux grapes?

I've never tried the Black Box wines, though I have seen many positive comments on them in the past couple of years. I might have to break down and give their red a try.
There is so much quality red out there for $8-$10 a bottle, it is easy, economical and tasty just to keep checking out different types. I usually ask John Murray at State Line in Elkton for something from Italy/South France/Spain, and let him point me to a few nice choices.

I confess: I love Target boxed wine (no, we can't buy in Maryland, but Virginia isn't that far.) Six varieties, great value, and perfect for a nightly glass or two. Doesn't mean I've stopped buying bottles or looking for new and interesting wine choices, but for leisure wine, it's hard to beat.

My, my, there are a few of us here who think they are just that much better than the rest of us...

Doesn't the fun in drinking wine come from trying different types? And Eve said it perfectly about drinking with friends!

If I don't like a wine that I try, then I won't drink it again. What's the harm in trying something once? I don't believe there's a single person here who has tried Black Box and not liked it. Robert, www.blackboxwines.com has all the info you need. Sorry you relate it to Boone's, considering that was soo 10 years ago. Carey, wow! $10 for a "big" bottle! That must be quality wine! Screw tops and boxed wines are obviously no match for that!

If you drink a lot of wine and don't act too big for your britches, then you should definitely try the Black Box brand. It is very good wine at a very good price.

AF, thank you. Being too big for my britches probably has more to do with my food consumption than my world view.

Black Box offers a cabernet and 2 merlots. Any tasting notes from the sandbox? (At my at-home consumption levels, 3 boxes will last me a year. Sorry, boring probably has a lot to do with 'tSO.')

The Black Box Pinot Grigio is quite bad. It has a distinctly cheap taste and is not at all light or dry. It actually tastes like a $5 bottle of chardonnay.

That being said, I have a nearly full box in my fridge and, because I'm cheap and can't bring myself to throw out the box, I'm going to have a glass or two right now.

I posted a couple of comments on the other wine thread. I totally agree boxed wine is good and perfect for "house wine." A great choice for nightly "after a long day at work" wine. I also haven't stopped buying bottles or looking for new and interesting wines. I just say--don't knock it, until you've tried it!