Where have all the bottles gone?
Improve the environment, save money, and enjoy quality wines all at the same time. New packaging technology takes credit for this. Is this the death sentence for glass bottles?
Economic uncertainty has returned many to the dinner table at home. Add a good wine and your meals will be more appetizing. How to find good wines at a low price? Here are some suggestions. The fascinating thing about these selections is that none of them are sold by the bottle. Three of them are in boxes, the fourth is in a barrel, and a bag lurks on the horizon.
First, we have a wine in a box. Forget your past experiences. This is an award winner. Corbett Canyon Merlot hits it big. At the 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the biggest wine event of the year, this Merlot was awarded Best in Class in a blind tasting. The price? It sells for the equivalent of just $2.50 a bottle.
After opening, this wine stays fresh for six weeks according to winemaker John Clark. The case contains 3 liters of wine (4 bottles) and will cost you $10.00. Corbett has clearly earned the right to call this container a Premium Wine Cask, not a “box”. Next, let’s take a look at two more companies that offer wines in three-liter boxes.
Black Box Wines. Their labels describe the region, the grape and the vintage, but not the vineyard. Winemaker Kris Kato oversees production of superior Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from California and a Pinot Gregio from Italy. These will cost you less than $5.00 per bottle. Visit his website and take a look at the pages of awards won by these wines, and learn where you can find them.
The Bota Box wine is another similarly priced, multi-award winning 3-litre boxed wine. Its products include Pinot Gregio, Chardonnay, Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Old Vine Zinfandel. Bota Box wines have also received considerable attention in wine competitions, garnering many medals.
Non-glass containers are obviously more environmentally friendly than bottles, but Bota has instituted many more steps to go “green.” For example, his box is made from recycled paper, the ink is soy-based, the paper is unbleached, and cornstarch replaced glue, to name just a few. That is a serious commitment. Visit their website. Check out the accolades they’ve received and find a list of retailers, botabox.com.
Red Truck Wines not only produces a great red, but packs it with imagination. It’s a Mini-Barrel. Red Truck Wines of Sonoma, California designed this little gem. It’s a lovely showpiece containing 3 liters of a fine blend of red wines designed by award-winning winemaker Charlie Tsegeletos. The blend is, Syrah – 41%, Petite Sirah – 30%, Cabernet Franc – 20% and Merlot – 9%. The grapes were selected from some of the best vineyards in California.
You can find them at Sam’s Club stores for around $20.00. That’s less than $7.00 per bottle. They can also be ordered from the winery. After opening, the wine will stay fresh for over a month, and the ingenious Mini-Barrel design allows you to extract all the wine without tipping the barrel. Red Truck is owned by “585 Wine Partners” in Sonoma, CA. -redtruckwine.com
The boxes and barrels are just the beginning of this story. How about a bag? Prime Star Group Inc, recently announced a new product. They are going to offer award-winning wines in a bag. Details are scarce, but CEO Roger Mohlman said: “We will be able to offer, at retail, two glasses of good wine for less than a dollar.” He then explains the convenience and portability of this package. Vintners’ private reserve wines will be produced primarily on the Northern California coast. region.
We are witnessing a gradual change in some of the basic customs of the wine industry. Many winemakers have replaced natural corks with manufactured cork-like materials. Others have adopted bottle caps. Replacing cork has reduced costs and eliminated the introduction of biological agents sometimes found in natural cork. So why not explore bottle replacement? They are expensive, heavy, fragile, and difficult to store. I find them beautiful, but perhaps they will go the way of ceramic jugs that held wine for a couple of thousand years. Traditionalists will put up a stiff resistance, but practicality might win.
A good wine can make any meal an event. When you find great wines under $10.00, bring them home.