WHINE # 56
BOXED WINES: Last time I asked readers for suggestions for topics
in future blogs. One suggestion that
threw me a bit was “why not say something about boxed wines?” Not an easy task for me as I never drink
boxed wines. In fact, the closest I
usually get to a boxed wine happens at the end of a golf game when I am heading
to the bar and my wife says: “Bring me a
glass of wine, unless it comes from a box.”
Given the golf courses that we usually frequent, Betty gets a lot of
glasses of beer.
Snobbery aside, I headed out
to my local NSLC store and purchased the most expensive box of wine
available. This happened to be an
Australian Shiraz. I served it blind to
a number of Christmas party guests and to my surprise there were some that thought
it was good, although the majority (perhaps the more honest ones) noted that it
definitely was of an inferior quality.
At the end of the evening I was left with many empty glass bottles and a
half-full box of Shiraz. Over the next
couple of days I managed to finish the stuff but nobody else in the house assisted
me in that task. I sipped the Shiraz as
the rest of my family enjoyed the good stuff.
What can one say about wine
that comes in a box? First, boxed wine
has one great advantage over bottled wine in that it keeps well after
opening. Boxed wine is really wine in a
plastic sack. As wine is removed the
sack collapses and no air is left to oxidize the wine. The claim is that a box of wine can last for
weeks. This compares to bottled wine that
I find lasts at best 24 hours. The
second advantage is the price. Boxed
wine is about 30% cheaper than anything one can buy in a bottle.
So what is my advice? If you are 24 years old, have a big student
loan, car payments, and the need to get financially established, then boxed
wine could be your drink of choice.
However, if you are three times that age, you must realize that any
glass of wine you pour might be your last.
I would hate for my very last glass of wine to have come from a box.
GOOD NEWS FOR RURAL NOVA SCOTIANS: Nova Scotia is
a poor province with an aging population.
One of the sources of government revenue is the liquor taxes collected
at each NSLC store. However, as we age
consumption of alcoholic beverages is declining (this observation does not come
from personal experience I assure you).
Raising prices is predicted to be counterproductive in terms of
consumption and subsequent revenue.
In a recent article I read
the solution seems to be to convince Nova Scotia consumers to drink higher
quality wines (which of course have more tax included in the price).
Those of us in rural areas
have long complained that there are few really good quality wines available at
NSLC stores. The best wines only seem to
be available in the Port of Wines store in Halifax. If the government really wants me to drink
more expensive wines they are presumably going to have to stock them at my
local store. Collecting more taxes from me by offering me
better wines at my local store is ironically good news. There, where else did you find someone wanting
to pay more taxes?
WHAT I DRANK LAST YEAR: At the end of
each year I like to see what wines I drank over the previous twelve
months. I am too embarrassed to tell you
the total number of wines that are described in my wine diary, but I will tell
you the percentage of wines that came from the major wine producing countries.
Again, South America
dominated my table with 44% of wines opened (24% from Argentina and 20% from
Chile). This compares to 46% from the
previous year. There are two reasons for
my purchasing so many wines from South America.
First the wines are very, very good; and second, these are great value
wines. If you like red wine and you want
to buy wines in the $ 15-$20 range you can’t beat South America.
California, as we all know,
makes great wines, but they tend to be a bit pricey. Last year 12% of my consumption (11% in 2013)
was Californian. No doubt that will
decline in 2015 as the Canadian dollar is currently so much weaker than the US
greenback. The good news is that the
Canadian dollar is holding its own against other currencies. My guess is that I shall crack 50% in terms
of South American wine consumption.
Twenty per cent of my
consumption came from Spain and Italy, but I drank far fewer French wines last
year (8%). I think as I drink more-and-more
high alcohol full-bodied New World wines my taste for the thinner wines from
France declines.
To round out my totals 10% of
the wines that came up from my cellar were from Australia and 6% came from
miscellaneous countries.
MY FAVORITES IN 2014:
Going back through my diary I
found that there were 12 bottles of wine to which I gave a perfect “10”. So what wines were rated as highly as was Bo
Derek in the movie from so many years ago?
Three wines repeated from my 2013 list.
There were: a 2003 Alfa Crux
blend from Argentina, a 2007 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon, also from
Argentina, and a 2009 Louis Martini Napa Cabernet (not to be confused with a Louis Martini Sonoma)
Two more of the wines were
blends from Argentina, a 2010 Norton Privada, and a 2010 Clos de les
Siete. An Australian Shiraz (a 2001
Strathbogie Ranges); a Pinot from Chile (a 2008 Villard Espression Reserve);
and a 2009 Genesis Syrah from Washington State rounded out the New World Wines.
Only three of my twelve top
wines came from the old world. Two were
from Spain, a 2009 Pujanza from Rioja and the least expensive wine of the
entire lot a 2006 Luzon Petit Verdot.
Finally, an Italian wine, a 2008 Piano Aglianico del Vulture rounded out
my list of the best wines of 2014.
With the exception of the Don
Melchor all the wines were under $ 50.
CELLAR OFFERING 230:
This offering is a bit of a
mixed bag, including some wines from Brazil, a few French wines, a couple of
South American wines, as well as some Cognac and Scotch Whiskey. If you were like me and blew the bank on
Offering 229 then you will be very discriminating this time.
Brazil makes lots of
sparkling wines and last year I ordered a case of Salton. I found it to be a bit sweet for my
taste. Most Brazilian winemakers are
Italian in origin so perhaps their wine is intended to mimic Prosecco. My preference, however, is for drier Cavas
from Spain.
For those of you with little
cash after the Christmas season you might try a case of 7948 Paulita Reserva
Cabernet Sauvignon. For a wine the sells
for well below $ 15., depending on your province, this wine is surprisingly
drinkable.
On the other hand, if you
want to spend some of that money you are currently saving at the gas pumps I
suggest the Chablis (7931). Chablis is
never cheap but I much prefer it to New World Chardonnays.
Finally, if you have lots of
spare cash order a case of 7971 Sauvis Hors, D’Age Bas-Armagnac. I know this is over $ 100. per bottle but at
the end of a fine dinner a sip of this so magnificent.
