There is an awful lot of wine in the world, but there is also a lot of awful wine.
- Len Evans
When it comes to buying wine, bridging the gap between budget and value is at times harder than it looks! After leaving all (or what's left) of my self respect at the door, I reluctantly stepped down the mass market jug wine aisle of my local "everything alcoholic under one roof-mart" and placed in my cart a box - yes, box - of wine. A big blue box of Big House Red in the patent pending Octavin packaging for around $18.
Now in my own defense, it's a wine from a producer whose products I've purchased in
750ml bottles many times before, at an average price of $8 a bottle. Pretty inexpensive by
most standards and definitely in the range for an every night table wine. Each box holds the
equivalent of four bottles bringing the cost per bottle to around $4.50!! Wow! That's
downright cheap! Now I have extra money for a bottle of Ouzo! So looking past the fact the pomp of opening a boxed wine is a little less elegant than the more traditional bottle (with the added benefit of a severe paper cut) I turned the valve and woosh– a filled glass of wine. It looked like real wine. It smelled like real wine... It even tasted like real wine. Now don't get me wrong. The stuff isn't displaying ANY complexities or nuances of terroir. It's young, fruity, straight forward table wine. And it's CHEAP– Period!
There's a whole lot written about the advantages of wine packaged this way. It's better for the environment (fewer bottles to recycle) and the wine stays fresher longer in case you only want one glass or so. Is that ever really a concern? Really– the only reason for me is it's cheap and fairly palatable. Not quite the standard I would usually hold. But when budgets get tight what's one to do? We're not soda drinkers and milk really doesn't do much for Chicken alla Cacciatore.
There's a whole lot written about the advantages of wine packaged this way. It's better for the environment (fewer bottles to recycle) and the wine stays fresher longer in case you only want one glass or so. Is that ever really a concern? Really– the only reason for me is it's cheap and fairly palatable. Not quite the standard I would usually hold. But when budgets get tight what's one to do? We're not soda drinkers and milk really doesn't do much for Chicken alla Cacciatore.
People who say “You can’t drink the good stuff all of the time” are talking rubbish. You must drink good stuff all the time. Every time you drink a bottle of inferior wine, it’s like smashing a superior bottle against the wall. The pleasure is lost forever - you can’t get that bottle back.
- Len Evans
Here's where it becomes a slippery slope. Picture this: You're walking once again down that jug wine aisle, and the shelf you had last found this brave new wine is empty! Panic sets in. You frantically scan the adjacent shelves– run to the end cap– even shamefully approach a sales clerk (who you just know is judging you) and you finally come to the conclusion– they are OUT of it! "How can this be?" you ask– "I thought I was the only one who knew about this..." "Can I help you find a good boxed wine?" asks the helpful clerk in a feigned non- judgmental tone... I won't mention the name or price of this wine– not really to protect the producer– but rather to spare myself further shame. Simply put, the stuff was just awful! Smelly on the nose, with a certain astringency on the front of the palate, with a lingering finish of disdain and self-loathing.
Wine is meant to be enjoyed for it's own sake; it is the key to love and laughter with friends, to the enjoyment of food and beauty and humour and art and music. It's rewards are far beyond it's cost.
- Len Evans
I am not as eloquent as some of the very smart wine writers and bloggers out there. Nor do I even want to pretend to be. I would love to get into the arcane details of bio-dynamic wine production methods and the importance of terroir. Maybe someday. For now I just want to make the associations between good food and wine taken with good and memorable company. Even with a glass of awful wine a memorable meal can be had. But let's not kid ourselves– life is too short to drink awful wine!
So the quest continues to find a wine that will not break the bank, yet will not make me sacrifice whatever good face I may have left with family and friends. I hope it's as fun as it sounds!
Find out more about Len Evans.
