Hi, I like wine that lives in a box.

As W.C. Fields once said “I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.” When a fairly regular occurrence in your household is to prepare dinner will sipping on some wine, the cost has to enter into the equation. While I would love to be able to crack open a moderately priced bottle of wine whenever I felt like it, I know that does not fit in my budget. Where to turn then? The fine world of boxed wine … or “casks” because that is a lot classier.

When I’m looking for a budget selection I almost always (unless I need to buy a 1.5 of white for a place that is BYOB) select reds. In my opinion the margin for error is so much greater. A cheap red wine can be “meh,” a cheap white can taste like jet fuel. Therefore I almost always end up selecting a Red Burgundy wine, not from the actual region in France, just the nice imitation our friends in California produce. It certainly has body, but the flavors are not as deep as a Cabernet Sauvignon or spicy as a Shiraz. It easily compliments most dishes, and is most excellent for cooking. The best thing, though? I can purchase five whole liters of it for around 15.00*!

My favorite for the longest time was Inglenook Burgundy. But then the asshats that run the state stores decided to stop ordering this variety about a year ago. Below is a search of the PA wine catalogue. It doesn’t appear anywhere in the state. Nice.



With Inglenook being impossible to find, I was forced to switch to Almaden Mountain Burgundy.


Source


That beauty above can almost always be found in my fridge. And yes, I prefer all my wines chilled. Suck it, snobs.

It certainly isn’t fantastic, but it is pleasant enough and works well in all my recipes. What is your favorite budget wine selection? Also has anyone had success creating a special order at a PA State Store?


* Here is some trivia for you. Five liters of wine is officially called a “Franzia.”