Drinking Out of the Box
        By Tim Protzman

Boxed wine is like Rodney Dangerfield--it gets no respect. Maybe if there was a prize inside, like Cracker Jacks, it would sell more. A fake Rolex or the new Nine Inch Nails CD would be nice. But for now, boxed wines aren't taken seriously. Even buying it is a hassle. I got yelled at. Twice. Was it worth it? Would I do it again? Definitely.

The Wine Rookies are a group of guinea pigs I use to taste-test wine. My palate is too jaded. I've never met a wine I didn't like. But, like on (IT)American Bandstand, I never gave a wine a perfect "100."

So I use the Wine Rookies to present an objective analysis. I found out long ago that most people have perfect pitch when it comes to wine. A beer drinking friend would uncannily point out the most expensive, best, and worst of any blind tasting. There are no tricks, they don't see the bottle, and besides, labels are meaningless to them. It does require openness towards wine. If you don't like wine, there's no difference between a 1959 Chateau Latour and Night Train Express. There are only two wines universally loved by everyone in the world: Pommery Brut Rose Champagne- mostly Chardonnay, with a little Pinot Noir and a touch of Petite Meunier, $65; and Sangria.

Fortunately, Almaden makes a Sangria in a box. And yes, I'd buy it again. And a lot of other boxed wine, too.

The best Sangria is homemade: a bottle of red wine, a Merlot or Tempranillo, a half cup of fresh squeezed orange juice, a half cup of grapefruit juice, and 3/4 cup of brandy. Blend in a pitcher, add lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit wedges and refrigerate.

And while the Almaden White and Red Sangria's aren't as good as homemade, they are refreshing and crisp. That crispness comes from the packaging. The three or four bottles worth of wine are vacuum-sealed in a Mylar pouch. There's no oxidation until the wine hits the glass. The breakthrough is that leftover wine stays fresh for months because there's no air inside the pouch.

But does Mylar affect flavor and aging? Probably a little, but not enough for most people to notice. Will boxed wine replace bottles? Probably not, especially for the more expensive fine wines, even though some will box their second labels. We're more likely to see a fine Burgundy with a screw cap than in a box.

Shopping for boxed wine can turn nasty. A Wine Rookie dropped a 40 oz. of Steel Reserve (a high gravity lager with 8.1 percent alcohol, and an American finish of yeast and cream with a bitter after-note from the alcohol), and the owner threw us out. At the second store, the manager got mad when I took a paper bottle bag off the counter without asking. Would I have gone through this abuse if I'd been in the California Cult Cabernet section?

Boxed wine gets no respect, but it deserves it. The easy to pour spout, the freshness, and you get three to four bottles worth for about double the price of a single 750 milliliter glass bottle. And I like the casual party, picnic time atmosphere the box exudes. I didn't like the (bold) Corbett Canyon Mango Blush, $9.99 for a three-liter box. The wine was nice, but the only way I like mangos are in salsa. The Rookies thought it a grown-up alternative to wine coolers.

So if you've been thinking about boxed wine, but haven't tried it, here are some wines that deserve respect, box, and all. Most producers have a complete line of the standard varietals and some interesting non-traditional blends.

Corbett Canyon Pinot Grigio, $9.99 for four liters. Zesty lemon with a touch of watercress.

Almaden Mountain Chablis, $8.99. One of the first wines I ever drank. The Rookies were so-so on it, but it presented ice tea with lemon flavors with a bit of tannic finish.

Peter Vella Delicious Red, $9.99 for five liters. I swear every kind of California grape is in this wine. While not quite delicious, it was good in a rustic way and had the food matching habits of a good Sangiovese.

Delicato Chardonnay, $10.99. Just a tad too oaky, but very layered. Presented burnt sugar, lemon custard, and duck sauce flavor notes. Rookies split down the middle on this one.

Franzia White Grenache, $9.99, 5L. Franzia's the Microsoft of boxed wines. Loved the White Grenache with its cherry and roasted beet flavors. Try the Sunset Blush, too!

Black Box Winery Merlot, $17.99, 3L. Great. The Prada of boxed wine. The merlot was soft and mellow with plum and cranberry.

Carmenet Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, $15.99, 3L. My favorite. Soft, inky floral bouquet, nice tannins, pleasant finish. Only flaw was an out of place sweetness.