Boxed Wines

joec

joec

New member
I've never used them but after reading a lot about them and hearing how well they keep, I tried a Inglenook Chillable Red wine as show in the URL below. It is a pretty smooth and good red wine though I am sure no wine expert but it was great in my mushrooms and pasta sauce. I still have a bottle of white wine unopened so when I use it up I will probably pick up a boxed white next. All in all it is a pretty good way to buy a better wine to cook with.

http://www.inglenook.com/OurWines_family.html
 
I think boxed wines are a good choice for cooking as the wine keeps for a very long time, and it's generally better than the little 175ml bottles I sometimes use. The only problem as far as I can see is the size of the boxes, which take up a lot of room in my only refrigerator.
 
The box it is in is 4" x 7" x 9.5" high and fits perfectly on my top shelf in the corner. It also has a easy pour spout so you don't have to take it out. The one I have is 3 liters with the spout on the 4" side.
 
We don't drink wine so the boxes work great for us. We keep them in the garage and I just run out and get a cup full when I need it.
 
I'm not a wine drinker even but won't cook with something I wouldn't drink. That is what kept me from even trying them in the past as I had the impression that they where poor quality. However over the last couple of years they have found the boxes keep even good wines longer and have been using the better stuff.
 
With the current world-wide wine glut and depressed prices, the boxed stuff should improve even further. However, it will never be "the good stuff."

OTOH, I am a wino of long standing, and I think it's absurd to use the good stuff in a recipe. I love the old recipes for Boeuf Bourguignon that call for two bottles of "good quality Burgundy" -- like I'm going to pour $100 or more worth of wine into a pot to stew onions, garlic, and beef!
 
What I mean by good stuff is being drinkable. Now I personally never could stand wine regardless of how expensive it is as to me none of it is good. With that said it is necessary to add flavor to some dishes and even cheap drinkable wines are better than the cooking only stuff which is really garbage. Now ask me about rums, brandy, Bourbons and whiskeys I could probably tell you more. My wife is the wine drinker here while I would much rather have a beer.
 
joec said:
What I mean by good stuff is being drinkable. Now I personally never could stand wine regardless of how expensive it is as to me none of it is good. With that said it is necessary to add flavor to some dishes and even cheap drinkable wines are better than the cooking only stuff which is really garbage. Now ask me about rums, brandy, Bourbons and whiskeys I could probably tell you more. My wife is the wine drinker here while I would much rather have a beer.
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The boxed stuff is usually drinkable -- I'd never use anything in cooking that wasn't. OTOH, I wouldn't serve it to guests.
 
Believe me my guest wouldn't care as though probably know less about wine than I do. I do suggest you get a box and taste it though before passing judgment on it now. This stuff isn't Thunderbird or Blue Nun and does smell and taste OK to me but all wines to me are too fruity. I would really rather just drink grape juice.
 
I am not a wine drinker either, but DW is so I just buy her the stuff she likes and when I need it in a recipe I use that.
I have heard though that the boxed wines are much better these days.
 
Maverick2272 said:
I am not a wine drinker either, but DW is so I just buy her the stuff she likes and when I need it in a recipe I use that.
I have heard though that the boxed wines are much better these days.
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That is what I was reading in a couple of tasting articles supposable by the magazine wine experts. They said that it is no longer cheap stuff that is being boxed as the wine keeps longer and fresher in the sealed bags inside the box especially after opened. According to the several articles I've read recently but then I assume these people writing know what they are talking about since they make a living because of it, though I could be wrong. I sure don't believe these same magazines know anything when it comes to their knife testing since the go for cheap and heavy. But then most chef's don't really know much about their tools but I would assume they can taste food and make a discussion on what is good and bad.
 
I've been really happy with boxed wine for cooking. It is quite drinkable, but it's nothing remarkable. But for cooking, I can't see any difference in the results than when I use a very good bottle of wine. Remember, whatever spices and flavors you are cooking it with will change the flavor of the wine anyway!
 
Fisher's Mom said:
I've been really happy with boxed wine for cooking. It is quite drinkable, but it's nothing remarkable. But for cooking, I can't see any difference in the results than when I use a very good bottle of wine. Remember, whatever spices and flavors you are cooking it with will change the flavor of the wine anyway!
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I agree. Now, maybe if I were poaching fillet of sole in wine, I might want something better, but in heartier dishes any differences are insignificant, if detectable at all -- although I would always avoid using a heavily oaked Chardonnay or Cabernet in most dishes.
 
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