Decent box wine?

[graidawg]

4 bottles? it must of been off to make you poorly, thats barely an appetiser

[Mojojita]

I second the recommendation on the Franzia "Crisp White". It's very drinkable on the playa. Our satellite camp is bringing many home brew kegs with a jockey box this year - mmmmmmm.

I bring a case of the Charles Shaw Pinot Grigio for camp visitors and passers-by and for general use until we break out the easily portable alcohol. (Whiskey, Tequila, etc..)

[BunBuns]

Another option: Wine Cubes from Target. Tried a few of them as an experiment. Usually $17.99 for three liters, but they've been on sale for $15.99. Tried the sauv blanc and the pinot grigio. They aren't horrible but must be drunk ice cold. Didn't care for the pinot noir. Tasted like raisins.

My inner OCD freak loves they're perfect stack ability.

Couldn't find any real reviews, but Target did toot their own horn here:
http://pressroom.target.com/backgrounde ... der_151709

[Martiansky]

I picked up a box of the crisp white.
Is Merlot any good?
I don't kow if I've ever tasted it before.
I was just reading a description of how its supposed to taste and it sounds kinda good.

I also saw some Fisheye wine and my first thought was.......wine for FISHY!!

[theCryptofishist]

"Here's mud in your eye, Fishy"

[media]

[Martiansky]

Fishy, is that a NO on the wine then?

What's your alcohol preference?

[theCryptofishist]

I drink wine. No tequila. Please educate me in the ways of subtle and expensive booze that will help me pass myself off as sophisticated. Or vodka cran (aka cape codder).

[lemur]

booze is booze.

if yer drinkin for the flavor.. yer doin it wrong

[happydragon]

Found this stuff at an awesome Liquor store in Reno on my way to the 2011 burn- think it was called Total Wine- sort of like BevMo on steroids and way more awesome... Anyway, the wines were drinkable, the aluminum bottles were recyclable, resealable and sturdy enough to toss into a pack before heading out onto the playa. Pretty much the perfect playa wine container I thought.

http://www.flasqwines.com/index.php/en/ ... 7&Itemid=5

[theCryptofishist]

booze is booze.

if yer drinkin for the flavor.. yer doin it wrong

(It turns out, I do just about everything wrong...)

[winebuff]

I am a wine distributor. Trust me, buy either Bota Box or Black Box. Best there is. But of course, I am bringing others like Fish eye and god knows what else is packed. Employee sale

[winebuff]

Fishy, I am going to do a casual Wine 101 class for our camp at our family dinner. You will be a expert by the end of the burn and probably love Port with chocolate 4 cases packed I think. Who's counting? Lost track

I drink wine. No tequila. Please educate me in the ways of subtle and expensive booze that will help me pass myself off as sophisticated. Or vodka cran (aka cape codder).

[Elliot]

I am a wine distributor. Trust me, buy either Bota Box or Black Box. Best there is. ...

Last year I brought both, and my customers scored Black Box a tad higher. Certainly decent enough, yes.

[Elliot]

POST BURN REPORT

So… we served the Franzia Crisp White, at only ten bucks for five liters. And several “customers” declared it was perfectly agreeable, and particularly refreshing in the desert. So we may have a winner for those of us on a tight budget.

We served it by placing the box in a small ice chest, with a hole cut thru so that the spout of the box protruded. This required just tearing away a little of the cardboard so that the bag could be pulled out a bit, and the spigot was completely outside the ice chest. We then dumped a bag of ice in. The ice melt water dribbled out thru the spout hole, but was caught by carpeting and evaporated harmlessly. Next year I may arrange a drain at the back of the ice chest, just for neatness. The ice melt ruined the cardboard box, but this caused no trouble.

The Man burns in 338 days.

[Elderberry]

Why not just remove the box?

[Elliot]

It is easier to set the unit into the ice chest while it is still a firm box. Without the box, the full bag is rather unmanageable, and it becomes difficult to wiggle the spout into position.
The box does not disintegrate. It only becomes soft and sags into a pear shape. So no clean-up problem.

[FlyingMonkey]

I am a wine distributor. Trust me, buy either Bota Box or Black Box. Best there is. ...

Last year I brought both, and my customers scored Black Box a tad higher. Certainly decent enough, yes.

I'm sold on Black Box & they pack/stack so well +++++

[cosmic-honey]

Bota Box FTW. Also, Burners Without Borders did a wine tasting this year. Heard they'll be doing it again in 2014. Perfect opportunity to scope out what is most enjoyable on the playa

[FlyingMonkey]

It is easier to set the unit into the ice chest while it is still a firm box. Without the box, the full bag is rather unmanageable, and it becomes difficult to wiggle the spout into position.
The box does not disintegrate. It only becomes soft and sags into a pear shape. So no clean-up problem.

Just a thought, it may be fun to take the wine out of the box & incase it in ice. The ice block could be something stackable or something fun like an ice head with the tap where the mouth should be. A little food coloring in the ice to give it a marbled effect, throw in a bunch of Orbeez, & you have drinkable art.

Although some of us consider winemaking to an art all its own, that could lead us back in to the whole “Science –v- Magic” debate….

[Elliot]

Do it!

[Divreon]

I'd recommend Bully Hill if you can get it. They sell their best wines in boxes, and they are a charmingly small winery in New York.

If you like sweet wines, or as my wife calls them, "Fermented Kool-aid", you might like their Sweet Walter Rose, a desert wine that drinks more like a white than a red. A quick look at the box displays a sweet vs dry chart, and this wine by them is the only one where the sweet side is literally shown exploding.

For a more balanced wine by most standards, I recommend "Love My Goat" which is their most popular Red wine.

As I don't drink dry wines, I will spare you my recommendation on any of them.

However, Box Wines are definitely being added to my shopping list for the trip.

[FlyingMonkey]

After extensive research (and many glasses) I have come to the conclusion that Bota Box pinot Grigio is one of my favorite box wines for the Playa. I think I may start stocking up now. Although I prefer dry reds, they may be a bit too heavy during the heat of the day (while repairing bicycles). But the Bota Box pinot would be very refreshing chilled while enjoying the company of new & old friends on the Playa. (makes me want to share hugs just thinking about it)

I will continue my research for the benefit of others. But I give this Box 2, soon to be 4, thumbs up.

Cheers my friends. The Man (really big Man) burns in 229 days.

[Charlie Parker]

I believe Big Black Box was mentioned by some wine expert on MPR as a decent brand for boxed wine. Haven't tried it yet.

[FlyingMonkey]

As I continue to selflessly research good box wines for the benefit of others, I have a new "hot afternoon on the Playa" favorite. I just had Black Box Moscato on ice & it was very refreshing. This would be great during the heat of the day under a shade structure with good friends.

I also just found out that the web site named after female warriors sells wine. Who knew???

[chuckularone]

A lot of the wine coming from overseas starts out as box wine anyway. Then once it hits the USofA it gets bottled.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/20 ... c-bladders
http://wineeconomist.com/2012/05/07/the ... -box-wine/

[FlyingMonkey]

A lot of the wine coming from overseas starts out as box wine anyway. Then once it hits the USofA it gets bottled.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/20 ... c-bladders
http://wineeconomist.com/2012/05/07/the ... -box-wine/

"24,000-liter plastic bags"

Wow, that puts "clean up in aisle 3" in a whole different perspective.

[GreyCoyote]

As I continue to selflessly research good box wines for the benefit of others, I have a new "hot afternoon on the Playa" favorite. I just had Black Box Moscato on ice & it was very refreshing. This would be great during the heat of the day under a shade structure with good friends.

I also just found out that the web site named after female warriors sells wine. Who knew???

I just want to salute FlyingMonkey for the selfless testing effort being conducted on our behalf. This sort of dedication and sacrifice is the mark of a true Burner.

[Elliot]

Salut! indeed.

[Sunbeam56]

Flying Monkey - try Mezzacorona Chardonnay. Won't find it at Walmart - but its a semi-sweet, dry white wine.
Serve well chilled.

[FlyingMonkey]

The hard work never ends, but I do it for all of you

I have been impressed with most of the box wines that I have tried so far but I just can't get behind Fish Eye 2013 Chardonnay. I'm a big fan of Chardonnays but didn't like this one even ice cold.

I will try to sample a few new ones before hitting the road HOME.

Cheers