Pennsylvania has just introduced it’s first wine vending machine. Apparently PA has liquor laws similar to MN which means you can’t just walk into a grocery store and buy booze. And certainly not on a Sunday. I don’t understand PA liquor laws any more than I understand MN laws but I do know that Wisconsin has greatly benefited from our archaic laws. I suspect that is the case for neighboring states of Pennsylvania too.

Until now. Now residents of PA can go to a kiosk in their grocery store, swipe their driver’s license, blow into a breath sensor and look into a camera and then choose a bottle of wine much like they might choose a pack of gum or Funyuns from their office vending machine. Of course, you won’t find these kinds of vending machines in the office, at least not yet.

Consumers seem to be happy about the vending machines but there are naysayers who suggest teens could easily purchase wine through the vending machine. Not so, all purchases are approved by a grocery store employee, thus the reason for looking in the camera.

We won’t be getting these awesome wine vending machines in Minnesota because they are way too convenient and our grocery stores can’t sell liquor unless they are a stand alone store. We have a few grocery stores with liquor stores attached but consumers must purchase their liquor separately from their food. I don’t know why. They will let you put your booze in the same bag however.

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I’m doing another Black Box Wine this week. I can’t help it, I just found this 2008 Mendoza Argentina Malbec and I am in love.

I have posted about Malbec wines before so to learn, once again, that I love them, should come as no surprise. I was turned onto Malbec wine about four years ago. My favorite was Alta Vista.  An exceptional wine. It was my favorite until yesterday when I tried the Black Box Malbec.

I don’t know how they do it, all of their wines are great.  Black Box wines can hold their own against any bottle. The Malbec Black Box wine surpasses a lot of the Malbecs that are out there right now. It seems everyone has come out with a Malbec lately, and some of them shouldn’t have.

This wine has luscious floral cherry aromas. The palate is dry and mediom bodied, with juicy blueberry flavors and hints of tobacco and chocolate. The tobacco doesn’t sound all that good but believe me it is. It has an earthy, robust structure and well balanced acidity which leads to a smooth finish. This wine pairs beautifully with steaks, grilled meats and Veggies, Italian dishes and mild cheeses.

I would serve this to any guest and not feel the least bit worried that it is from a box. I might pour it into a carafe to serve on the table but this wine rivals any of the best Malbecs I have tasted. I would serve it with pride.

If you don’t love this wine you aren’t drinking enough. Wow, that doesn’t really sound right. You will love this wine, I promise. It is nothing but a box full of deliciousness.

Source Select Mendoza, Argentina vinyards

Acidity 5.6/l

Alcohol 13.5%

Residual Sugar 3.0g/l

pH 3.7

SRP $24.99, which is the equivalent of about $6.25 per 750ml bottle

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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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From  Bellawinery.com

Fruit from our Lily Hill estate was destemmed and crushed before going through a 12-day fermentation in a submerged cab tank. The syrah grapes used in the blend were co-fermented with the zinfandel. Aging occurred in a combination of French and American oak barrels for 16 months.

The 2007 Lily Hill zinfandel tantalizes the nose with a delicate aroma of blackcurrant and cloves. This velvety textured wine delivers solid red fruit and soft tannins on the palate, with a lingering finish of plum and roasted coffee beans.

Our Lily Hill estate vineyard is located on the western slope of the Dry Creek Valley, directly above our wine cave. We are privileged to have 10 acres of old vine zinfandel planted in 1915. These weathered vines give us ultra-ripe, concentrated fruit that brings intense flavor and complexity to our wines.

In 2007 we experienced a steady summer of warm days and cool, foggy nights, ideal growing conditions for top-notch winegrapes. 2007 wines have excellent concentration with full but soft tannins. The vintage balances power and finesse and is perhaps the best year in Sonoma County in the last decade.

I haven’t been able to score one of these babies but if you have please let me know what you thought of it.

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Aromatic with a hint of rose petals and raspberries, “Rosa Regale” Brachetto d’Acqui is perhaps the only wine in the world that marries well with chocolate, especially dark or bittersweet. Delightful, vivacious and aromatic, it can also be enjoyed with strawberries, fruit salads and a wide range of desserts. $24.99.

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.

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?

I will soon be able to blog on a much more regular basis. In anticipation of that I wanted to post a few reminders.

If you aren’t already following me on Twitter please do. I follow back everyone who follows me. You can also follow me on Facebook too. I think it’s the right link. I was just going to type that I don’t understand how people can spend so much time on Facebook but when I went to get the URL I lost 20 minutes. Hmmm….

This here blog is now available on Kindle. Of course if you found me here I don’t know why you would want me on the Kindle too but then I don’t have one so I have no idea how the whole thing works. If you have a Kindle and you subscribe to blogs please leave a note in the comment section and let me know how you like it. I’d love to get one but I don’t commute on a bus or train, I don’t actually commute at all, I can open a book easier than a Kindle as well. The price tag alone keeps me from purchasing one but they do look cool. I’d love to be able to download a book in the middle of the night.

That’s about it for now. Starting Tuesday you can look for more regular posts on this blog as well as the others.

When I do have a beer I drink Summit Beer. Summit Beer is a micro brew from here in St. Paul. I know you can get it in Wisconsin but I’m not sure about anywhere else. Aside from the great taste of the beer which is hoppy and crisp and certainly not watery like Miller or a Bud, this beer has a higher alcohol content so one of them gets me buzzed and in a happy place in less than half a beer.

I have been drinking Summit Beer since the early 90′s when I sold my house to the owner of the Summit Brewery. No, I am not getting paid for this endorsement. In fact even when I sold him the house, which was located on Summit Ave (the reason he wanted the house) I didn’t get free beer. I should have since he got the house for a steal due to the fact that my first ex and I were getting a divorce and needed to sell the house quickly.

If you can get Summit in your area give it a try. There are several different varieties as well as seasonal beers. You’ll love it.