Over the last few years I have become a fan of box wines. I prefer the white boxed wines to the reds but I have found  some reds that are very good even when coming out of a box.

The advantage to a box wine is that it doesn’t have to be drunk right away. Because box wines are air tight the wine can remain fresh (non oxidized) for a long time. Usually much longer than it takes to drink the wine.

If I am having a gathering I still prefer to pour the wine from a bottle, it just looks so much nicer on the table and I know the wine will be drunk so there won’t be any wasted wine. However, for my own wine drinking, which isn’t usually more than a glass a night, I prefer the box. I have too many bottles of good wine that are now cooking wine because I couldn’t drink them fast enough.

One of my favorite box wines is the Black Box. It’s a more expensive box wine coming in at $23, but for the equivalent of four bottles that isn’t too bad. I usually keep a box of the New Zealand East Coast Sauvignon Blanc in my fridge. It’s a light wine, not too fruity and not dry. It goes with the lighter fare of warmer months. Often I pour it over ice and enjoy it on my back deck.

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My buddy Nick from 1st Grand Liquors recommended this refreshing little wine. Nick is having a sale at his store, his famous 6 for $36 sale.  This wine usually sells for about $18 so getting it for $6 is a steal.

I tried a 2006, according to Wine Enthusiast it has a rating of 87 which isn’t bad at all. According to Sontes.com it is the best Pinot Grigio you will ever try. I’m not sure about that but it is pretty damn good.

It has a crisp citrusy taste with hints of nectarine and, get this, Parmesan. Perfect with roasted chicken or pork tenderloin. Lately I’ve seen it paired with frittatas and omelets, something I haven’t tried yet since I usually eat those dishes in the morning but it would be nice for a Sunday brunch.

Most wine snobs look down on Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Gris as it is known in France. It is a mass produced wine that is not meant to be aged. And while most wine snobs do look down on the lowly Pinot Grigio it is one of the most popular wines around.

This summer our neighborhood got a Trader Joe’s. I’d never been to one before the opening of this store but I had heard about them. The building of the new Trader Joe’s caused all sorts of grumbling from the local grocery stores and liquor stores.

In Minnesota you can not buy alcohol in the grocery store, nor can you buy it on Sunday. We have neighborhood liquor stores which are nice but it would be convenient to be able to buy our booze when picking up dinner at the last minute.

Trader Joe’s has a wine shop in their stores. In Minnesota stores they are separate from the grocery part of the store and you have to make two separate purchases but you don’t have to move your car which makes it a little more convenient.

I’d hear about Trader Joe’s Three Buck Chuck from friends and family who had a store near them. But I had never tried it. I’m not a wine snob, though I do like a nice wine, I’ll drink anything if it doesn’t make my mouth bleed. So I was looking forward to the Trader Joe’s wine.

The Three Buck Chuck is the Charles Shaw label which produces many varieties of wine but the store, at least the one here, carries Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. I spent $9 plus some tax and tried one of each. I now have three bottles of cooking wine.

Actually the Chardonnay was not too bad but the cab and Merlot were gut churningly bad. Even for $3 they were overpriced. I can’t think of when I might be tempted to drink this wine.

Have you tried the Three Buck Chuck? What did you think about it?

We have had a string of warm days and it looks as if it is going to continue for a few more days. Of course this means that white wine is palatable again.

I have a hard time drinking white wine when it is really cold out. Just as I have no desire to drink a red wine when it is warm out.

While we have been having this lovely stretch of days above 50 degrees I have been enjoying Big House White. Like Big House Red it is a varietal which is a blend of Viognier, Chenin Blanc, French Columbard, and Sauvignon Blanc. The French Columbard is clean and fresh, the Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc contribute crisp acicity and the Viognier adds to the mouthfeel and lists up the floral aroma.. It goes with anything especially, potato-crusted sea bass, grilled veggies, pasta with cream sauce, crustaceans, garlic-roasted poultry, anything that swims.

Wine Enthusiast gives the 2007 Big House White an 89 and Wine Spectator gives it an 83.

For a good time stop by the Big House.

Sorry for not posting in a while it’s been a busy week.

A couple of weeks ago my daughter celebrated her birthday. In addition to her friends coming over for a Friday evening their moms came over too. One of the moms brought a bottle of Robert Mondavi Pinot Grigio.

This is not only a very nice white, since it is not too fruity or sweet but it is a safe wine to bring as a gift as it goes with just about everything. This particular friend brought a magnum which costs about $14.00 and is plenty of wine for a small group of people. It’s better chilled, at least I prefer it chilled but it isn’t half bad at room temperature if you must drink it right away. And sometimes you must.

We had the wine with a very rich fudge cake and it went very nicely with it taking away some of the sweetness of the cake which was just a bit much. This wine does not pair well with citrusy foods like tomato or citrus fruits, this is due to its high acid content. Don’t let the word acidity scare you however this wine has an almost silk like texture on the palette.