Boxes, Boxes Everywhere!

Tricia here, blogging the first of the boxed wines series reviews as promised in the last post. Let me say this, choosing the first wine was not as easy as I had thought, there are so many out there now! It wasn't easy picking--red or white, which varietal, what producer...my liquor store had a whole row dedicated to their selections.

I'll also say this, I knew there was more volume in the box vs. the bottle but with the amount equal to four bottles this could be a very dangerous journey I've just embarked on, happy President's Day weekend to me!

After 30 full minutes of perusal, I walked out of the store with a 2010 Bota Box Cabernet Sauvignon from Bota Box Vineyards out of Manteca, CA. I knew I was in the mood for red based on what I was planning on cooking today (see recipe below) and this caught my eye based on one thing: it won the gold medal at the 2009 California State Fair with 94 points. Now, I know that isn't the Wine Spectator 94 points, but the criteria are the same and let's be honest, it's not like it won at the Rhode Island State Fair (it's my state, I can make fun of it). California is the capital of the State of Wine so I figured it had some credibility.

I wasn't disappointed. The wine had a nice aroma of black cherry with a lot of dark plum and dark berry on the taste without being real "jammy" (yes, that's a technical term). It's a very smooth, balanced wine and can be enjoyed during any season, if you throw steaks on the grill for supper in the summer, this box is your friend. If you're bundled up in the cold weather and cooking up some rich comfort food, well, box it up with Bota Cabernet. At $17 for the box, you really can't go wrong! I was making a chili today with some new ingredients that were really hefty (dark chocolate, dark beer and dark roast coffee) and I chose a Cabernet based on that, see below for the recipe:

Dark Chili
1 lb ground beef
1 lb cubed sirloin
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bottle dark beer (think Porters, Stouts or dark Lagers)
2 cans of peeled and diced tomatoes, include the juice
4 cans of kidney beans, drain them first
1 can of beef broth, your own or store bought, whatever blows your hair back
2 cans tomato paste
1 cup strong brewed coffee
4 hot chile peppers--remove the seeds and chop 'em up
1/2 cup brown sugar
A few square from a good dark chocolate bar, or a handful of dark chocolate chips if that's what you have
Healthy pinches of each of the following: cumin seeds, cocoa powder, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, coriander, salt and pepper

Brown the beef and veggies including the garlic for about 10 minutes, then add the rest but hold 2 of the cans of kidney beans. Let that all simmer together for an hour or so, then add the rest of the kidney beans and let it go at least another 45 minutes, but you can simmer it all day if you like.

Pair it up with the same dark beer you used in the recipe or, of course, a glass of your boxed wine :)

Bon Appetit!

Tricia

**PS--I'm serving this up to Dave tomorrow so we'll get his thoughts on both. See you next week for another review!