08/27/08 Wine Q&A

Q. My wife and I recently heard a story on Northwest Public Radio about new regulations in Italy for wines in boxes. Are you aware of any quality American wines (particularly reds) that are available in boxes as opposed to traditional glass bottles?

A. Box wine quality has been improving steadily over the past few years. Although boxes offer many advantages over standard bottles -- lower prices, single servings, low environmental impact, etc. -- they are not usually perceived as "quality" wines, if by that you mean superpremium. Good wines absolutely may be found in boxes. In general, the more you pay, the better the wine. It's that simple because it comes down to the cost of the juice inside the box.

As a rule of thumb, look for 3-liter boxes, rather than 5-liter boxes. Look for varietal labeling (for instance, "Chardonnay" rather than "Chablis") and a vintage date. Very good box wines are made in Australia, and you'll find some excellent values there. In this country, the wines of Black Box and Killer Juice are recommended.

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