Out of the Box Sangiovese Umbria

Naming this wine "Out of the Box" is a bit misleading. Because it's a boxed wine!!! :-O
It occured to me the other day that when I started this blog I heartily insisted that you CAN, in fact, get good wine in a box (because you can!). And then I never told you about any. For shame! Well here's one for you...

Out of the Box (hereafter refered to as OotB) Sangiovese is, in all honesty, a surprisingly good wine. If you can get past the stigma of the box (honestly, boxes get a bad rap), you'll probably be pleasantly surprised and glad that you tried it! I know I was, so I'm going to tell you all about it...

But first, some compelling evidence why boxed wine is (subjectively) AWESOME:

1.) You get more bang for your buck. $25 for a box of wine might seem like a lot, but generally those boxes hold five liters of wine. FIVE LITERS! That's 6 and 2/3 regular-sized bottles of wine!*

2.) If you can't finish it shortly after opening (seriously, you can't. At least, I hope you can't), it stays good for practically EVER. That's because inside the box is an airtight bag, so when you get wine out, air doesn't get in and cause the wine to turn on you. A box of wine can last you for weeks, or even months.

this gives me heart palpitations...

3.) If you drop it, the worst that will happen is you will have a dented box. No shattered glass or wine stained carpets. Who couldn't get behind THAT?!?!
4.) It looks, smells, and tastes like bottled wine once its poured in the glass. Magic!

Overall, OotB Sangiovese Umbria is a pleasant and smooth table wine, with just the right amount of expressive fruits balanced against a light acidity. You'll notice the scent of berries right off, and detect them in the sip as well. No hint of bite, this one won't tweak your cheeks or make you pucker your lips if you choose to sip it unaccompanied.

OotB Sangiovse is also a great compliment to a meal. Not super dry or particularly sweet, this one's juuuuuuust right. Enjoy with a light pasta and breadsticks. Maybe one of those Barilla dinner for twos...or a loaf of Italian bread dipped in Ragu. You know, just to keep things classy.



Price: $$


Rating: B+

* some now come in a 3 liter size, and with some brands you can even go smaller than that. But come on folks, 3 liters is still a LOT of wine!

Santa Cristina Pinot Grigio

I can't put my arms down!

I'm not usually the sort of person to state/complain about the obvious, but damn it's cold! I'm wearing three shirts, two pairs of pants, and the fluffiest socks available this side of my pajamas, and I *STILL* can't feel my fingers (note to self: put on hobo gloves). So logically, I'm going to blog about a wine best served chilled. Because I enjoy frostbite. Don't you?



In my mind, persnickety people all have
 fancy moustaches for some reason...

Pinot Grigio is the sort of wine that people get all persnickety about, and I'm not 100% sure why. I mean, Santa Margherita is good and all, but it's a little pricey, and you can get a Pinot Grigio that's just as nice for much less. Enter Santa Cristina. At something like half the price, Santa Cristina is a similarly dry-yet-fruity white that goes great with a variety of dishes.


Best lightly chilled, you'll first notice its light straw color and fresh scent. The sip is best defined as crisp and full--I know, I know, "crisp" is a vague-ish wine term that doesn't necessarily carry any real-life applicability (don't even get me started on "full"), so I'll just tell that you once you sip, you'll want to click your tongue and say "Ahhhh!" You'll notice a burst of light citrus, and maybe even some pineapple that lasts through the sip and well after.

Or, you know, with a hot pocket...

Pair this one with crab cakes, light pasta/seafood dishes, or with appetizers at your low-key dinner party. I'm thinking a smoked meat and cheese platter, and maybe some spinach and artichoke dip. With pita chips, not tortillas. 'Cause we're classy like that.


Price: $


My Rating: B+

The Aftermath...

This is a really good picture of me...

Wow, what a weekend! It's Tuesday and I am still thoroughly exhausted from the madness of the PWC One Year Anniversary Extravaganza. Lots of people stopped by, but there was so much going on for such a long span of time that it would have been nearly impossible to catch it all. So here's a run down of the awesome day we had:

PWC's Chef in Residence Hillary whipped up some awesome cheese fondue with bread and veggie dippers, then put together a decadent brandy-soaked strawberry trifle.

Yup, these were a hot-ticket item.

John Randazzo from Via Fresca in Guilderland made a scrumptious chicken cacciatore that also made the store smell fantastic for the rest of the day.

We gave away a ton of merchandise...for some reason the Hpnotiq emery boards were the big winner, and we ran out of those first (I would not have ever in a million years seen THAT coming).

Most importantly, we sampled some great wines from around the world:

From Spain:
Casajus Vendimia Seleccionada
Abad Dom Bueno Mencia
Abad Dome Bueno Godello
Cellar Bellsum Red Blend

You may recall my fondness
for the Sassy Bitch Sauvignon
Blanc...

Monta Hiniesta Tinta de Toro-- which is this week's Thirsty Thursday selection, though I don't have time to try it beforehand...

Chile:
Sassy Bitch-- all of them.
Santa Carolina Reserva de Familia
Ritual Sauvignon Blanc

Italy:
Dolia Vermentino
Doli Frizante
Villa Fiorita Chardonay
Villa Firorita Pinot Nero
Villa Fiorita Barbera
Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano D'Abruzzo
Cantina Zaccagnini Pinto Grigio (a new favorite!)

California:
Bogle Chardonnay
Bogle Sauvignon Blanc
Bogle Petite Sirah
Bogle Phantom (a luscious red blend)

New York:
Johnson Estate Sparkling Traminette

DEEP BREATH

Not to mention the Chambord. We served that up a few ways:
all on it's own,
on top of the Sparkling Traminette as a delicious spritzer
and in yummy Chambord Vodka French Martinis.

PHEW. That's a lot of tastings.

Back to my regularly scheduled drinking and blogging next week!