Back with an other round of “Battle of the Boxes”  In this round  we have two contenders; A Heavyweight Big Box: Chardonnay and a Lightweight Tetra Pak: Pinot Grigio, both from the Pepperwood Grove brand from Don & Sons. We’ll see which wine will win us over.

In the Heavyweight category we have:

The Big Green Box
Pepperwood Grove
Chardonnay

Pepperwood Grove ‘The Big Green Box’ Chardonnay

First Sip

This wine opens up with aromas of apricot and woodchips with a bit of clove. A mouth burst of sugar, (think marshmallows on the fire pit) and grapefruit lead to a creamy finish. This is a quaffable wine, not buttery, not a lot of oak, but plenty of clove makes me want to reach for a ham sandwich on rye bread!

2^nd Sip 1 week later

I sensed much more clove when revisiting this wine. I was surprised how much the wine changed from smooth to a bit rough. I don’t know if it is a feature of the packaging or the wine. I would like to revisit this wine in bottle format to see how it compares. I found the flavors changed too much during the second tasting round, but the 20-something crowd had no problem finishing this wine.

While the packaging kept together, being stored in the refrigerator the cardboard showed a bit of softness, suggesting it may not be able to stand up to the humidity levels for an extended amount of time. The spicket held together with no leakage. Drink boxed wine with in six weeks of opening.  77% Chardonnay | 10% Chenin Blanc | 8% Pinot Grigio | 5% Viognier | Alcohol 13.9% | $19.99 for 3L | California |

In the Lightweight category we have:

The Little Green Box
Pepperwood Grove
Pinot Grigio

Pepperwood Grove ‘The Little Green Box Tetra Pak’ Pinot Grigio

First Sip

The color is almost clear but with a slight pink hue, sweet aroma of golden delicious apples. Big tropical fruit flavors lead to a slight bitter finish. Pair this wine with fresh strawberries for a refreshing summer snack.

2^nd Sip 1 day later

Due to the type of packaging and the small quantity, it’s unrealistic to think this would last one week. The size of the box at 500ml is about 2 ½ glasses. Nevertheless, I left a bit of wine in the Tetra Pak to try on day 2. Results:  still consistent and drinkable; and gone in a flash.

The small Tetra Pak makes it easy to pop some in the cooler for a summer picnic and not worry about bottles breaking or re-sealing the bottle after pouring a glass. 100% Pinot Grigio | Alcohol 13.5% | $4.49 500ml | California |

Winner of Round 5 ~Pepperwood Grove Pinot Grigio.  Why? Consistency and quaff-ability. At these price points we look for crowd pleasing, easy drinking wine. The Pinot Grigio hit both marks.  The Chardonnay struggled a bit on the consistency factor during round two; the over abundance of clove distracted me. Share with me the boxed wines that won you over!