Comments on: Box vs. Bottle: Can a chef tell the difference?

By: Petaluma Deadhead

Petaluma Deadhead — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:45:13 +0000

I have found the the Pinot Gris and Chards tend to taste better than the reds (Merlot & Cabs) that I have tried from boxes. The format is not an issue for a weekday glass of wine… I doubt that I would every “break out the box” for a dinner party though…

By: Shana Ray

Shana Ray — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:43:49 +0000

Great work! I completely agree that the boxed wine is actually not that bad and a much better deal as an “everyday” wine.
I haven’t tried aerating boxed wine yet, but I am sure it would be much better.

By: BiteClub

BiteClub — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:08:09 +0000

Hey Donna, I realized that maybe I wasn’t totally clear about the details (though I suspect most people may not care). Here’s how I set it up (again, not totally scientific)…
1. Chard bottle vs. Chard box.
2. Merlot box vs. merlot bottle (both Sonoma County) vs. the jug (a Rhone Blend)
I tried to make it as close to apples to apples as I could, though in honesty, you’re right at some level that there are many differences between wine styles even within varietal. My sommelier pretty much nailed the varietals blind. Impressive. He also even got some of the regions correct (again blind).
The takeaway was just to see if folks could suss out a box wine at any level. I’m sure a wine person could do this a bit more logically than I did.
As to the chefs issue, that just happens to be my genre and I think Brent (at KZST, who issued this challenge) thought it would be entertaining to see if folks who work with wine/food for a living can actually taste the difference. A ‘real world’ panel would be fascinating too! Best!

By: donna gleckler

donna gleckler — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 10:57:03 +0000

If I understand this you compared Wine A [box] against Wine B [bottle] in both red/s and white/s. I see a big problem with this– that is the biggest variable was that the wines were different from each other. That doesn’t test out Box versus Bottle but one wine against another different wine. Yes it is likely impossible to get the same wine in a box and a bottle but your panel was more likely comparing wine styles and quality and Not Box vs. Bottle. That would have interested me a lot more. Your experiment was interesting but does not reveal much.
Also why use chefs as they do not know about wine as much as wine drinkers? I think the panel should have been wine drinkers.
Thanks for listening and I will try some Black Box.
donna

By: Vince

Vince — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:52:32 +0000

Excellent, thanks for the info Heather. Any camper/boater/etc worth their weight knows that box wines are a boon. Quality ones are even better.