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Boxed Wine: Love It or Hate It?

YumSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 05:30:24 -0700

Lately, I've heard an increasing amount of hype around how much wine in a box has improved over the years. Like screw-cap wines, boxed wine has become more widely accepted. Because of their unique dispensing system, the wines can last up to six weeks - much longer than the average bottle of wine, which can only survive a couple of days. I haven't tried a boxed wine in years, but I get a hangover just thinking about the boxed wine my friends and I used to buy in college. Perhaps I should seriously consider giving it another chance. What about you: Do you appreciate boxed wine?

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Are You a Fan of Screw Caps on Wine Bottles?

partysugar — Thu, 01 May 2008 07:00:55 -0700

Do You Drink Boxed Or Screw Cap Wine?

partysugar — Thu, 24 May 2007 03:11:18 -0700

I attended a fashion show pre-party with FabSugar and was only mildly surprised to see that boxed wine sat on all of the tables. It used to be that boxed wines, and their frowned upon cousin the screw cap, were reserved for large quantities of bad quality table wine. However, with better technology and techniques in sealing boxes/bottles, many young and established wineries are turning to the box and the easy to open bottle. What do you think of this growing trend? Do you drink boxed or screw cap wine?

Would You Buy Wine Bottled in Plastic?

YumSugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:50:22 -0700

Over the past couple of years, the wine industry has gone from mostly glass bottles with corks to a bevy of boxed varietals and wines with screwcaps. Now meet the industry's newest container contender: plastic wine bottles. Because they're one-eighth the weight of a typical glass bottle and take up 20 percent less space, plastic bottles are more cost effective and environmentally friendly. They also enable winemakers to save fuel by shipping more wine per truck. The downside? Plastic simply doesn't provide the same seal as glass, and the bottles come with "drink by" dates - so they'll only be used to package wines that are meant to be enjoyed right away. I can't help but wonder whether the plastic containers could pose a health hazard. How do you feel about the matter?

Go Green! Turn Old Wine Bottles Into Water Holders

partysugar — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:50:44 -0700

Plastic water bottles produce a lot of waste; one way to cut back is to use larger, refillable bottles for drinking water at home. This works well in an area like San Francisco where the tap water is drinkable and delicious.

Since I entertain a lot, I thought it would be eco-chic to make my own! Here's what I did:

Start by saving several wine bottles. I collected three clear bottles with smaller labels and screw caps.
Wash the bottles and their caps in the dishwasher.
Part of the labels will be removed. There are several ways to remove the rest of the label. You can heat them in the oven for a couple of minutes or warm with hot air from a blow dryer.
Scrub any of the label's residue off with a good sponge or a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover.
Fill with water, close the cap, and place in the fridge to chill.

A set of these also makes a thoughtful gift. Has anyone else made their own water bottles?

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Happy Hour With Entourage, Part 2

partysugar — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 09:00:08 -0700

On Friday I introduced you to Kimberly Jackson of Jax Vineyards. YumSugar and I met her at a recent wine tasting, where we were attracted to one bottle in particular: Y3 Chardonnay. We loved the sleek and chic appearance. The wine with its crisp, clean, freshly acidic taste and bright, rich aromas made it highly drinkable and totally food-friendly. The winery is owned and run by Kimberly and it's an exclusive wine seen on many episodes of HBO's Entourage. When Vinnie, E, & Co. are sipping Char while out at one of LA's hottest eateries, it's most likely they are sipping a bottle from the Jax Y3 label. At only $18.00 a bottle this is an affordable must drink-get a bottle today to enjoy while you watch the season premiere tonight! We spoke with Kimberly about how she stumbled upon the Entourage set and what pairs well with her Chardonnay.
To take a look at what she has to say about her wine, read more

P/YSugar: Can you describe the Y3 Chardonnay to readers who haven’t tried it?
KJ: We wanted to create a Chardonnay that would not be overly oaked or overly creamy which is quite common among Napa Valley Chardonnays especially in the low to moderate prices points. Our goal was to create a chardonnay that offered a bright acidity and crispness to it. This ultimately allows the specific fruits ie. green apple, white peach, and a touch of brown sugar to shine through. Often oaky, creamy Chardonnay styles mask the actual fruit in the wine. Additionally a more acidic and brighter wine will not overpower food therefore resulting in a great food pairing wine. To enhance the vibrance and crispness of this Chardonnay, our winemaker, Rob Hunter used light oak barrels and no malolactic fermentation in his winemaking processes.

P/YSugar: What would you pair the Y3 Chardonnay with?
KJ: The Chardonnay pairs well with just about any cheese, fish dishes, and chicken dishes. It would also pair with a lean meat. Ultimately, the acidity can cut through the cream based cheeses and accompany light to moderately heavy dishes without overpowering them. Our Chardonnay is very unique in that it caters to the Chardonnay drinkers who like texture and layers that a Chardonnay offers but the Sauvignon Blanc drinkers enjoy its crispness and acidity.

P/YSugar: How did Y3 come about?
KJ: Our family’s involvement in our winery originally started when my dad purchased a beautiful 38-year old Calistoga vineyard in 1996. Realizing that our dad made an excellent vineyard choice, my brother Trent attempted to produce his own wine by hand picking a second harvest from our Calistoga vineyard. The homemade 1995 vintage created in his San Francisco garage ultimately turned out to be Calistoga vinegar. Undaunted, our family got inspired by Trent’s efforts so we hired a winemaker to produce our first official vintage of Jax Cabernet Sauvignon in 1996.

As our estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Jax) continued to gain momentum, we decided to start additional varietals including our Y3 Chardonnay, Y3 Syrah, and Y3 Sauvignon Blanc. The Y3 name (which is a Jax brand) was inspired by our grandparents who had a cattle ranch where Y3 was a cattle branding symbol. We celebrate three generations of land-tilling entrepreneurs with the Y3 label. This label is for our wines that are sourced from vineyards other than our own. The Jax Cabernet Sauvignon comes solely from our own vineyard.

P/YSugar: Do you use screw tops?
KJ: No. Although screw tops are cost effective, easier to open, and the trend in bottle packaging, we like the traditional ritual of opening the wine. As a high quality winery, we prefer the image of a traditional cork. Also, corks outperform screw caps after three years so we prefer not to risk the accelerated air transmission (resulting in oxidation) that occurs after approximately three years in the screw top.

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Summer Sipping Tips

partysugar — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:01:38 -0700

With the weather heating up and the bbq busy grilling, it can be hard to find the perfect wine for summer sipping. Vegetables in winter are usually part of a sauce or as a component in a dish, however in summer we enjoy them in their pure and simple form, lightly grilled or softly dressed. Here are some useful hints to help you select the right wine:

Pair raw vegetables with chilled whites. A white Rioja or Alborino pairs nicely with raw tomatoes and a dry Rose works well with a caprese salad.
For heartier vegetables like charred peppers or dishes with rich cheeses, opt for a lighter red like a complex Pinot Noir.

Fresh corn goes nicely with a buttery Chardonnoy or crisp Sauvignon Blanc.
Experiment! Instead of the popular Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio try an off-dry Reisling or lesser known grape such as a Viognier or Trebbiano.
For a picnic purchase small wines sold in plastic quarter bottles.
Don't be snobby about a screw-cap. More and more good quality wines are coming with an easy to open screw cap.
When in doubt drink bubbly!

The Ultimate Bar: Corkscrew

partysugar — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 11:43:52 -0800

Every week YumSugar highlights an essential tool for the ultimate kitchen. People are always asking her what her favorite kitchen tool is and in a response to this perpetual question, she is creating a list of kitchen must-haves and special splurges (attention brides: use this as a checklist when creating your registry!). Lately I've noticed that more and more people are asking me about what the perfect hostess should have in her bar. To answer this question I thought I would put together a list of important tools, glasses, and gadgets that The Ultimate Bar (for the ultimate at home mixologist) should have.

Let's start with a tool that no bar (or kitchen for that matter) should be without: a good, reliable corkscrew. I have tried out the more expensive rabbit screw pull gadget like wine openers (test for yourself: the one pictured is $100), yet the two that I had both broke after several months of use. That's why I prefer the leverage winged, modern spiral corkscrew. It's by far the most dependable and one of the easiest to use: as the center coil is screwed into the cork, the arms rise up. When you press the arms down, the cork extracts. In some circles this twin handled affordable ($9.99) corkscrew is referred to as the Charles de Gaulle. The top of most can also be used to remove bottle caps.

Two more corkscrews so read more

Another option is the two-pronged cork fork, or butler's friend, that swiftly opens a bottle of wine without damaging the cork. It's recommended for use with older vintages of wine whose corks are more likely to crumble with the injection of a metal coil. ($18.95)

Some consider the corkscrew that waiters use, a waiter's friend, to be the most sturdy and handy corkscrew. This corkscrew relies on simple leverage to remove the cork and is light and compact. All parts fold up inside the handle, like a pocket knife making it extremely convenient and portable. When I worked in a bar I never got the hang of maneuvering this tool swiftly with one hand, however if used properly it's a great gadget complete with foil cutter, bottle rest, and battle cap opener. If you are on a budget this baby is your best bet, a fun, colorful one can be purchased under $8.00.

Happy Hour: Loimer Lois Grüner Veltliner

YumSugar — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 13:58:19 -0700

This weekend I found myself in the wine section of my local grocery store, staring at what appeared to be a green wine. Since St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, I figured I might as well take it home and see what it was all about (besides thanks to global warming, it was really warm out that day and a cold white wine sounded great).

The bottle had a bright green screw on cap and a simple white label with the word "Lois" printed on it. It appeared green, but on futher inspection we discovered that the inside of the label was green, and the reflection gave the wine a nice emerald hue. Lois is an Austrian wine formally called Loimer Lois Grüner Veltliner and is naturally light in alcohol (11.8%). Grüner Veltliner (which is known as "Gru-vee" and happens to be Austria's national grape) is becoming one of the world's new trendy white wines.

Overall Lois was very pale (there was a slight greeny-yellow tint) and was rather tart and dry with hints of green apple, lemon-lime and a tiny bit of white pepper. It was definitely refreshing on such a warm night and was sipped down quite easily.

Is it really a St. Patty's Day drink? Not particularly, but it will look festive sitting on your table and is a great way to start the night. Available for under $15.

What's Yummy This Week: YumSugar Weekly Recap

YumSugar — Sat, 26 May 2007 08:18:31 -0700

It's a long weekend, so get out and get your grill on! We've got a full Memorial Day BBQ plan for you, with great recipes, drink ideas and more!

I love blue cheese, but I'm not sure I would want to smell like it on purpose.
My favorite video of the week is definitely this Skoda Fabia commercial where they make an entire car out of cake.
TeamSugar members always impress me, this week I want to make sure you guys check out crispet1's triple layer chocolate fudge cake and mymaria's Asian stroganoff/drunken noodle dish.
Do you drink diet or regular soda? If you drink diet, would you drink 12 cans a day?
If you're looking for dessert, give these a try: simple vanilla pudding or a no bake sorbet with limoncello spiked fruit.
If you don't like plain water, you might want to pick up a Pur flavor cartridge.

Learn two ways to do a great American classic: macaroni and cheese for beginners and experts.
Can't get enough of Rachael Ray? Now you can get her on your cellphone too.
Want an exotic meal? How about one that's served by murderers and mobmen?
This week you can learn how to keep your lettuce longer, how not to overcook your veggies, and one more nifty trick for your egg slicer.

Everyone loves cupcakes! So why not wear them on your sleeves or how about your clutch?
And finally, this week we wanted to know:
- What time do you eat dinner?
- Do you make cocktails at home?
- How about boxed or screw cap wine?
- Do you grow your own herbs/veggies?