La Nevera Seleccon Especial Rosado
Its rosé season, so before loading up the camper or raft, I recommend seeking out a box or two of La Nevera Seleccíon Especial Rosado as a perfect companion for outdoor summer fun! The wine is made from 100% Garnacha grapes that are grown in the heart of Northern Spain at 350m above the Ebro river, which adds freshness and vibrancy to the delicate, yet fruity Provençal-style wine. Only 1,500 cases are made a year of this affordable super value of a treat, so seek some out now before its too late! Max Kuller, Managing Partner & Sommelier, Estadio
Best Pinot Grigio: Bandit Pinot Grigio
Courtesy of Minibar
Region: California | ABV: 14% | Tasting Notes: Lemon peel, Apples, Stone fruit
Founded by vintners Joel Gott, Charles Bieler, and Roger Scommegna, Bandit is committed to making delicious wine while preserving the National Parks system.
Not only does Bandit make a tasty pinot grigio, but their packaging makes it easier to have wine-on-the-go, optimal for camping trips and long mountain hikes. And once you reach the summit, youll be hit with creamy aromas of peach, apple, pear and lemon. This is semi-dry with a citrus finish. Bring along an almond-rich trail mix for an out-of-this-world pairing.
Best Tasting Box Wines
Alternative wine packaging is revolutionizing the wine industry, and resultantly, the list of best tasting boxed wines is growing. Wines in boxes, pouches, and cans are big business and provide a great way to find affordable wines of decent quality. While you still won’t find the top rated, best quality wines in boxes and cans, there are still plenty of delicious, drinkable boxed wines that are perfect for parties or as everyday drinkers.
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Bandit Pinot Grigio California 1l And 500ml Tetra Pak Or 3 L
Charles Bieler, Joel Gott and Roger Scommegna, vintners and founders of Bandit, have partnered with the National Park Foundation, donating a large sum of money in honor of the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System, so look for the National Park themed tetra paks. Expect a bright and crisp tropical fruit flavors with a creamy mouthfeel and generous mouth-coating profile.
Best Ros: Le Vieille Ferme
Courtesy of Amazon
Region: France | ABV: 12.5% | Tasting Notes: Floral, Citrus, Peach
Brown calls this wine produced by the Southern Rhônes famed Perrin family one of the best wine values of the wine world.
A blend of syrah, grenache, and cinsault, its a consistent gem thats 100 percent crushable, she says, with a red-fruit palate and touches of citrus, peach flesh, and white flowers.
It’s a perfect match poolside with friends, for those regular Tuesday nights with leftover Chinese food, or while simply Netflix and chilling, folding laundry. Nadine Brown, wine consultant and former wine director of Charlie Palmer Steak in DC
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We Tried 7 Boxed Red Wines And This Is The Best
Boxed wine has been around since the 1980s, but has spiked in popularity over the past few years as people look for easier ways to store and drink wine, as well as be more eco-conscious. In fact, more people are turning to boxed wine after realizing the quality of wine is the same as what’s in the bottles, and it’s way easier to let family and friends pour themselves a glass right out of the fridge without the need for a corkscrew.
In the name of science, we tried seven different boxed wines to see which one is the best. To start, I narrowed down this search for boxed wine to only include red wine, which is consistently the most Googled wine across the United States, according to a Google Trends search. Then, once I was at the liquor store, I tried to pick options that I knew would be readily available in most grocery stores. After gathering a few friendsbecause who wants to drink aloneI broke open the boxes and we started tasting.
This is the official ranking of seven of the most popular boxed red wines. If you prefer a canned wine, we’ve got a list of the 17 best canned-wine brands that you should try. Cheers!
White Boxed Wine Picks
There are a lot of reasons to love Fielding Long Weekend Wine Co. Chardonnay-Pinot Grigio VQA, starting with the fact that its one of very few made at an independent, family-owned winery that uses 100 percent Ontario grapes. Also, its just plain delicious, with a crisp, clean and juicy tasteeverything we want to drink with our corn chowder and salad.
Everyone whos ever tried a bottle of Robertson Winery Chenin Blanc knows that, dollar per ounce, this South African white is a great buy. If youre lucky enough to live in Quebec, where its sold in a three-litre box, the savings are even more impressive on this dry, balanced, bright, high-acid white thats born to be enjoyed with soft cheese and fatty fish.
Californias Bota Box is a bit of a game-changer, since its widely available across Canada, offers quite a few options, varietal-wise, and, well, weve never tried one we didnt like. Case in point: Bota Box Pinot Grigio, a lively, perfectly dry wine with citrus and stone fruit notes.
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Firstleaf Delivery And Packaging
Firstleaf ships everywhere in the U.S. except for Utah, Mississippi, and Rhode Island due to state regulations. First orders typically arrive a couple days after they’re placed. When I opened my box, it was extremely secure with thick cardboard dividers, almost like an egg carton, nesting each bottle to avoid breakage. The packaging was also easy to disassemble and recycle. Deliveries occur once a month and don’t require any refrigeration, although I’d recommend placing white wines in the fridge an hour before consumption for a better tasting experience.
Firstleaf Customer Service And Reviews
If there’s one thing Firstleaf customers love more than the wine, it’s the customer service team. Out of more than 300 reviews on Trustpilot, Firstleaf has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. One customer, who had to cancel an order due to travel, wrote, “I dealt with three representatives, and they were some of the best customer service professionals I have spoken to.”
Others have described the team as “wonderful,””fantastic,” and “great.” Several folks said pausing or cancelling their subscription was “seamless.” Between the virtual concierge to help with orders and the fast response time, it’s obvious that Firstleaf cares about its customers. Another perk Firstleaf customers love is the virtual wine school, an online database with articles about the wine industry, specific blends, and other interesting tidbits.
Of course, we can’t forget about the wine. One reviewer wrote, “Excellent wine club. The wines are good quality and all of them selected based on my personal preferences .”
Another customer added, “As many others here, I have enjoyed almost every wine I was sent so far and do not remember major disappointments.” The reviewer also mentioned how the club offers a “wide variety of styles, regions, and tastes that are rarely found in mainstream stores.” Their only suggestion: “Adding some Southeastern Europe varieties would be a wonderful breath of fresh air.”
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Are There Any Drawbacks
Even though BIB wine has a longer shelf life than a bottle, it will go off eventually, so keep in mind that a three-litre box is the equivalent of 20 glasses of wine. People who get bored with the same food and drink night after night should think carefully about committing to the same wine for an entire month.
Its also perhaps a little too easy to keep going back to the box for a refill. Opening a second bottle of wine is a decision mindlessly tapping the box for another splash could easily become habit-forming.
How To Find The Best Bottles Of Low
There are a few key specifications you can look for to identify low-carb wine.
- Alcohol by volume : The alcohol level is required to be listed, and can be found on the bottle as “ABV,”or alcohol by volume. For a low-carb wine, aim for 13 percent or less.
- Residual sugars: Low-sugar wines are naturally low in carbs because sugar is a type of carb. Finding residual sugars can be a bit more challenging to decipher compared to ABV. The metric most likely will be listed on a wine’s website on the “tech sheet” . Low-carb wines will have less than 10 grams per liter .
- Dry taste: Even if you can’t find the exact amount of residual sugars, you can use your taste buds as a guide to find low-carb wines. Wines range from bone dry to very sweet, and those on the drier end naturally contain less sugar.
“The drier the wine, the lower the sugar content. Varieties like Champagne, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot grigio, merlot, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, and Malbec generally contain somewhere between 2 to 4 grams of carbs per 5-ounce glass,” says Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN, founder of NutritionStarringYOU.com and author of The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club.
“Sweeter wines like port, moscato, plum, and other dessert wines will contain much more sugar, so if you are seeking a low-carb wine, those are probably not your best choices.”
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Jenny & Franois From The Tank
Jenny & FrançoisFrom the Tank 3L boxed wine. This brawny blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan has enough brambly dark fruit and peppery flavor to stand up to barbecue. Best part, these grapes are hand-harvested and treated with virtually no chemicals and additives. Since its packaged in a vacuum-sealed bag, you can pour yourself as little or as much as youd like and the box will keep for a month. Bonus: theres a classic Spanish cocktail called a Kalimotxo that consists of equal parts Coke and red wine. The natural acidity of this vin rouge makes it the perfect base to this summertime purple drink. Chris Poldoian, Camerata at Paulies, Wine Director
La Vieille Ferme White Wine France 3l
My favorite of the three La Vieille Ferme box wines I sampled, the white wine has a pale gold color, a tropical fruit nose, notes of underripe banana and hints of pineapple, and a chalky kind of mineral character, with good acid on a mouth-coating finish. Also look out for the boxed rosé, which has a pale salmon pink color, and is quite simple and clean with strawberry, white peach, and prickly pear notes, and subtle Mediterranean herb notes. And the red boxed wine is worth trying, too. Deep ruby-purple color, this wine is quite soft, with mouth-coating tannins, subtle red berry and earthy aromas, and a spicy finish.
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Boxed Wine Isnt Actually Horrible
Aside from the obvious advantage of being cheaper, buying boxed wine is actually smart for a host of other reasons so much so that some vintners are starting to sell even their fancy cuvees in cardboard.
Why, you ask? Well, first of all its nigh impossible for wine to go bad in a box, either before or after opening.
Thats because of the vacuum-sealed bag inside the box which you may or may not remember from college. It keeps the wine almost entirely out of contact with oxygen, which means youll never open a box to find your wines already turned.
And that cute little spigot? It works to maintain the wines vacuum seal, even after youve had a glass , which means you can keep an open box of wine on the counter for weeks instead of just a couple of days, like with a bottle.
And although its true that cork allows wines that need it to age with grace, most easy-drinking table quaffs dont benefit much from sitting in a bottle, or will be drunk too young for it to matter.
Boxed wine also carries a much smaller carbon footprint and you can take it into glass-free zones, like campsites.
But enough about why its awesome: Which one tastes best?
The Winner: Trader Joe’s Block Red Cabernet Sauvignon An Easy
Price: $11.99 per box, or $2.99 per bottle
Verdict: Not bad, Trader Joe’s. This particular box holds 4 bottles of wine, which makes its cost $2.99 per bottle. So, depending on where you live, it costs the either the same or just $.99 more than two- or three-buck-chuck.
Buy it for: A great rooftop or backyard BBQ, a dinner or holiday party, or for drinking in your living room while you watch rom-coms on a Friday night.
Tasting notes: A “well-balanced” red that tastes of “ripened fruit and leather” and “blackberries.”
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Finding The Best Tasting Boxed Wines
The boxed wine, canned wine, and pouch wine market is rapidly growing due to the demand for affordable wines that will last longer than a few days after opening, leaving savvy wine consumers spoiled for choice. Boxed wines make great everyday drinkers, and the above best tasting boxed wines are also something you’d be proud to serve to a crowd.
Beso Del Sol White Sangria Spain 500ml Tetra Pak
With a luscious mouthfeel, and lychee, candied peach and prickly pear notes, this is great served over ice with pieces of ripe pear, pineapple and Granny Smith apple. Also try the pink sangria, which has notes of rich candied watermelon, jolly rancher green apple and overripe peach. Serve it over ice with cut up pieces of peach, pear, and green apple. Finally, the red sangria is good too, with its notes of tangy, candied red berry fruit and brown spices. Serve it over ice with cut pieces of peach, plum, pear, and apple.
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Gratsi Old Country Red
The name of the wine might throw you for this boxed wine. Although it doesnt hail from Italy, the Columbia Valley, Washington, brand has created a Cav Sav blend that holds true to the values of the old countryan easy-drinking everyday red. Gratsi Old Country Red is dry with fruity and floral notes on the back end. This well-balanced red also is lower in residual sugars than many other boxed wines.
The Best Boxed Wine For Your Money
Eight adventurous TPH staffers and I tasted seven boxed wines, ranging from $11.46 to $21.99, to figure out which wine we wouldnt be embarrassed to serve at a party after sneaking it into a fancy decanter, of course.
To control the experiment , we kept our tasting to a single varietal, or type of grape: cabernet sauvignon.
We cant say for certain that our findings will hold across varietals. Maybe our least favorite brand just happens to flub its cab, but does a bang-up job on pinot noir or sauvignon blanc.
But even so, some of our results were pretty surprising and they might just help you nail down those holiday dinner plans. Heres what we tasted, started with the cheapest option:
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Vin Vault Chardonnay California 3l
This wine is rich and creamy, with tart apple and pear flavors, and subtle caramel and toasty toffee notes on the finish. Also look out for the Cabernet Sauvignon here, which is a deep ruby-purple color, with really sumptuous black fruit aromas, along with graphite and sweet oak spice. It’s round, plush and soft with chocolate-covered black cherry notes, vanilla bean, chewy tannins and a subtle smoky herbaceous note on a blueberry compote-tinged finish.
Qunita Da Espiga Vino Tinto
This red wine from Espiga is great for heartier cold-weather fare and barbecue. While a bit heavy in terms of mouthfeel, theres obvious red and black fruit and a bit of leather and spice. Its good enough to be the house red at many restaurants, at least during happy hour. And if winter drags, use it as a great base for mulled wine.
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Boxed Wines Ranked From Best To Worst
If you’re trying to drink wine on a budget and you’re not drinking boxed wine, you’re missing out.Boxed wine has long been one of the most maligned wines in the industry, even though it’s always been the more affordable and environmentally friendly option. In the past few years, boxed wine has grown into a compelling genre of its own, reaching beyond the familiar Franzia and Carlo Rossi to include European brands and even local Oregon and Washington wineries.On a recent fateful evening with the upcoming winter holidays in mind, we sat down and blind-sampled 45 boxed wines — 19 white and 26 red wines — to bring you this ranked guide to the best and the worst wines available at major grocery stores across the city.For both reds and whites, we tried to buy the same variety. Most of the whites are pinot grigio, with a handful of sauvignon blanc and chardonnay mixed in, depending on what producers offered. Reds are mostly cabernet sauvignon with an occasional merlot, pinot noir or Italian/Spanish variety.Wines were purchased from Fred Meyer, QFC, New Seasons, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. We found the most wines at Fred Meyer and QFC, which both had a sale running when we bought the wines. The price/bottle calculations are based on what we paid, but may vary when you make your purchase.Here’s our guide to every boxed wine we could find at major grocery stores, ranked from best to worst.
