Box Wine is Da Bomb Part Tre

Ryan Sproule is a genius. Or mayhaps he's an opportunist. Could be he's just a practical guy. Could be he's all three. Speaking of the number three. This is the third installment of "Box Wine is Da Bomb."

This time I'm drinking the 2008 "Black Box" Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie. Pinot Grigio is a crisp, high-acid, light white wine that comes from Italy. If I was a wine snob I might turn my nose up at this wine. But I'm not. I'm an equal opportunity wine drinker; aka Wine Muse. I'll give anything at least one chance. More often than not, I give wine a second chance. Sometimes when I try a certain wine I'm not in the mood for a white wine, or a dessert wine, or a high-alcoholic red wine, or a nice, light, summertime wine. So Why should I turn my nose up at this wine if I was a wine snob you might ask? Because this wine has gotten a bad rap. Its reputation of uninteresting and boring is unfair, I say. Pinot Grigio isn't made to knock your socks off or make you swoon, or make you pant, or drink with a juicy, thick steak. Pinot Grigio is very drinkable on its own, or with chicken (not grilled or barbequed, of course), or with mild fish.

It's really all about where your head is at the moment. And your taste buds. Are you always in the mood for Cabernet and steak? No. Of course not. Sometimes you're in the mood for something lighter like a salad with cold shrimp. Enter Pinot Grigio. It's quite nice really, but because it's mass produced, wine snobs turn their noses up at this wine. Again, I say unfair!

Some light, dry, white wines can taste "watered down." But not the "Black Box" Pinot Grigio. It's pale yellow in color, has a nice citrus and mineral aroma, and it's fairly acidic so it provides that mouth-watering affect that I find quite pleasant. It's crisp and dry and I'm rather enjoying it at the moment. Again, wine-in-a-box comes without the annoying worry of being corked since there is no cork. Just a small box that can be recycled and that convenient plastic bag with a spigot.

Just who is Ryan Sproule, you might be wondering? He's the vintner that created "Black Box Wines." Highly drinkable, everyday wines for a fraction of the cost of most bottled wines. This one will run you about $17 - $19 a box, which is equal to 4 - 750ml bottles of wine. That's 3 liters for you folks that are on the metric system (meaning everyone else on the planet except us stubborn Americans).

Cheers to you Ryan Sproule for seizing an opportunity and for providing us winos with a value wine that we're not ashamed of blogging about.