Wine in a box is good, and good value
Not that I’m a wine snob. But, generally, I’ve steered clear of boxed wines because they have a reputation of being cheap and mediocre.
That changed this summer when my wife, Kerry, and I discovered Bota Box wines from California.
Bota Box made a big push in B.C. this summer introducing a dry Rose, Pinot Grigio, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay at both government and private liquor stores.
All come in three-litre, bag-in-box packaging, priced around $37.
That’s the equivalent of four 750ml bottles of wine at barely more than $9 a bottle.
That fulfills the wine-in-a box criteria of being affordable.
But the wine is also good. And the packaging of wine inside a plastic bag with air-tight pour spout surrounded by a box keeps the wine fresh for three weeks after opening.
Kerry and I worked our way through both the dry Rose and Pinot Grigio over two weeks of dinners,
having people over and outings on the boat.
At home, the box is handy to have in the fridge to dispense a glass at a time via the plastic spout.
For the boat, we simply pulled the plastic bag full of wine out of the box and put it the bottom of the ice-filled cooler for mobility and constant chilling.
The Rose is a classic pink with aromas and flavours of grapefruit
and plump strawberries.
The Pinot Grigio has a fruity and dry profile of pineapple, peach and lime.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARIES
Blue Mountain Winery in Okanagan Falls is celebrating two anniversaries this summer.
Fifty years ago, in 1971, Ian and Jane Mavety started growing grapes they sold to other wineries.
Twenty years later, in 1991, they
started making their own wines under the Blue Mountain label.
So that means the Mavetys are marking both 50th and 30th birthdays.
Ian and Jane’s son, Matt, is now the winemaker and their daughter, Christie, is the marketing manager, making the operation a truly family affair.
What better way to commemorate the two milestone anniversaries than with premium wines?
The Mavetys stick to what they know and do best, classic French varietals suited to their 31-hectare estate near the shore of Vaseux Lake.
As a result, this summer’s releases are stunning.
Let’s start, of course, with celebratory sparkling, the Gold Label Brut ($28), a Champagne-style bubbly with a complex creamy-lemonand-fresh-baked-croissants profile.
The 2020 Sauvignon Blanc, 2020 Pinot Blanc and 2020 Pinot Gris, all priced at $25 a bottle, are also crafted French-style with fruit-forward freshness backed up by alluring texture and minerality.
The 2019 Chardonnay Estate Cuvee ($28) is also top-shelf with rich lemon-and-butterscotch aromas and flavours enhanced by just the right amount of time aged in French oak barrels.