Are there any decent box wines?

I've found that the crummy white wine I buy in boxes to use for cooking does quite well in my cool-but-not-cold pantry for periods of over a month. Although it's nothing great to start with, it shows little if any hint of oxidation or heat damage over that time.

FWIW.

[David M. Bueker]

Well just as a data point, I opened the box of 2007 Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone last night & it was shot. Kept in the cellar since I got it, the wine was pruney, bitter, acidic & zero fun at all. With air time in the glass the wine showed distinct oxidation notes. I recall Mark Lipton saying something about the shelf life of these packages (6 months or so), and if that is an issue then this one clarly proved it.

How long was it in cellar?
I definitely think while these are great as far as shelf life once opened, they are not intended for any real extended shelf life

Another box wine I had liked but haven't seen in a while are Brocard's Bourgognes - I think they did both the Kimmeridgian and Jurassic in BiB. Anyone know if they still do that?

[David M. Bueker]

It had been around for about 8 months.

So for red wine BiB - store in fridge & warm up glasses to room temp, or store somewhere cool but not cold. Thoughts?

David, I have of late had the Grand Venur, the Le Petite Frog (Picpoul), and the Domaine de Pena all from the BiB, and while I might sip more than some and less than others, I find that the wine lasts easily for a month. My basement is cool, but not controlled, so I usually draw off a bottle of either or all into used bottles. These I keep in the door of my fridge. When I wan, I simply sit a bottle on the counter for a half hour or so before dinner and it works. Here the Venur is $14 - 16 per bottle, and the BiB works out to $10. the Picpoul is about $30 so about $7.50 per, and the Pena is around that number too. Personally, I believe for wines that sell in bottle for <$20 the BiB makes a lot of sense from several viewpoints....such as shipping for example.

Well just as a data point, I opened the box of 2007 Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone last night & it was shot. Kept in the cellar since I got it, the wine was pruney, bitter, acidic & zero fun at all. With air time in the glass the wine showed distinct oxidation notes. I recall Mark Lipton saying something about the shelf life of these packages (6 months or so), and if that is an issue then this one clarly proved it.

David,
I can't recall if I was the source of that information, but that does comport with my own understanding. I have been told (or read) that the bag is somewhat permeable to oxygen and so the wine inside will slowly oxidize. Whether 6 months is a reasonable cutoff I no longer recall (if I ever did).

Mark Lipton

Well I finally took the plunge and purchased an Octavin of the 2008 Big House Red...a field blend consisting of 23% Syrah, 14% Petite Sirah, 9% Grenache, 9% Montepuliciano, 6% Mourvedre, 6% Sangiovese, 6% Algianico, 6% Tannat, 5% Nero d'Avola, 4% Sargentino, 3% Touriga, 3% Barbera and 3% Petit Verdot, whew! The wine is very tasty, moderately complex and spicy... not overoaked and only 13.5% Alcohol. Sunday we returned from Ocean City Maryland where we traveled to the previous Thursday to launch the boat for the season which is a 22' pontoon "Gin's Tonic" named after my mother and the only party barge style boat to have for this area . On arriving home Sunday afternoon I prepared a simple meal of red beans, sausage and rice with a rustic bread and as we only wanted a glass of wine each we dispensed the Big House Red. It was perfect! I paid $18 for the 4 ltr. package which was like getting 2 bottles free at the glass bottle retail price. I'll report over the next bunch of weeks on how well the wine holds up.

Drew

23% Syrah, 14% Petite Sirah, 9% Grenache, 9% Montepuliciano, 6% Mourvedre, 6% Sangiovese, 6% Algianico, 6% Tannat, 5% Nero d'Avola, 4% Sargentino, 3% Touriga, 3% Barbera and 3% Petit Verdot
Drew

It's 13 wines in one!

BTW how was OC? I spend a bit of time down there (retired in laws spend half the year there).

Well I finally took the plunge and purchased an Octavin of the 2008 Big House Red...a field blend consisting of 23% Syrah, 14% Petite Sirah, 9% Grenache, 9% Montepuliciano, 6% Mourvedre, 6% Sangiovese, 6% Algianico, 6% Tannat, 5% Nero d'Avola, 4% Sargentino, 3% Touriga, 3% Barbera and 3% Petit Verdot, whew!

SNIP

Drew

Drew, that sounds like a heck of a good deal. I have been purchasing the Jaume "Grand Venur" CdR for a couple vintages now, but it is more like $40 per 3 liter box. Still that is like $10 per bottle vs $14-16 when purchased by the bottle. Another I like is the "Le Petit Frog" which is a 3L BiB of Picpoul de Pinet, which is about $30 for the box. Both of these are Kysela imports, which in my book is a no brainer for decent wines. Now, I have to go looking for the BHR.