Bottle Shock: A Boxed Wine Experience
I am woman enough to admit when I am wrong. When I received the shipment of Black Box Malbec, I regarded it with morbid curiosity. My past experience with boxed wines was not a good one and was pretty much limited to college parties.
In the spirit of full disclosure, it was sent to me by a sister agency of the PR firm where I am employed. I was willing to live by the motto that I have for reviewing wines on Dallas Wine Chick because wine, like art, is subjective. It is a lesson that my mother taught me early in life– if you do not have something nice to say, say nothing. I warned the PR rep that while I was willing to give it a try, I was going to be honest or I would not post. She told me that the Malbec was different and deserved a fair shot.
Bottle Shock
We had a few friends over that evening and it was the last wine that we opened. I tried to hide the box as I poured, but since we were all congregated in the kitchen and my clandestine pouring ended up all over the floor, I was quickly busted. We toasted …. “heres to the unknown and trying new things.”
I took a sip. My first taste revealed cherries, berry flavors and a bit of earthiness, but it was a little harsh at first and needed to open. I left it in the glass for about 20 minutes and it became more balanced. My friends deemed it party wine and frankly if you do the math, at a retail price of $24.99 for 4 bottles, it is a decent wine.
I’ll admit that I don’t drink many bottles that retail for $6.25, but the fact that this was quaffable makes it unique. And, when you have a husband who prefers bourbon, like I do, it’s a good option for that last glass of wine when you don’t want to open a bottle after a night out. This experience made me more willing to delve into the unknown and put my preconceived notions to the side.
