For thousands of years wine has been lovingly aged in the bottle, carefully corked and for those of us who enjoy a single glass of wine with dinner we were at a loss for what to do with the rest of the bottle. Sure we could drink it but with the self life of an open bottle being two or three days that meant that we had to finish it in the allotted time. Cook with it is always an option or too often we would end up losing a portion of the wine.

With the additions of Franzia and then Peter Vella we were given the option of a box of wine that would last a long time. However these wines tend to be too sweet and the five liter box was a bit much for us single people. At that size you could end up drinking the same wine for months and so it was back to the bottle for me. Franzia came out with a three liter box. Unfortunately it only was offered in white zinfandel in my area.

Now with more wineries stepping up to the plate and placing their wines in boxes we have a much better selection and the wines are very good. Black Box has opened new doors for those of us who prefer our wine dry but enjoy the convenience of the box. Black Box wines come in three varietals, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and chardonnay. Black Box is a second label for Cakebread Cellars who produce stellar chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. The Black Box wines are the perfect size at three liters and best of all they are pretty darn good wines.

Fisheye wineries have introduced pinot grigio and shiraz in a three liter box which is great news as pinot grigio is a hot varietal right now and should be perfect for summer when our lighter foods require a white wine.

The bottom line is that the box wines are good wines not great wines. These are great for everyday consumption and you don't have to worry about the wine turning bad before you can drink it. The pour spouts in box wines are convenient and these boxes fit nicely in the fridge. The downside if their is one is that it's a lot of wine if you happen to choose a varietal that you don't like. I will say to please check the box. If it appears to have swollen or looks like the box has been wet leave it on the shelf. I have seen these boxes with mold around the spout where it has leaked and these wines can turn bad.

On your next visit to your favorite wine shop ask the clerk to direct you to the box wines and take a chance on these exciting new wines.

Learn more about this author, Linda Argue.
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