While drinking wine can be a fun and delicious experience all by itself, drinking it with food makes for an even better experience. However, you must balance out the flavors between the food and wine so that they complement each other and refresh your palate between bites. Finding wine pairings that you love depends heavily on your individual tastes and what kind of wine you like. Despite that, it cannot be argued that some wines go better with certain foods than others. Centuries ago when the only choices were red or white, it was easy to make a pairing. Heavy foods like meat go with a red while lighter foods go with a white. Although these basic principles are at the core of wine pairing, the extensive variety of wines now available make it more difficult.
If you’re out to eat, we encourage taking advantage of the wine pairings suggested either in the menu or by the in-house sommelier (wine expert). However, since boxed wine is usually consumed at home, here are some ideas of what food to pair your favorite boxed wine with. As always, don’t forget to be adventurous and try new things!
Red Wine Pairings
Bota Box Cabernet Sauvignon
Bota Box is one of the premier boxed winemakers in the industry today. They offer their wines in two different sizes, a 3L bag-in-a-box style, or the .5L Tetra-Pak bottle. Whether you want to put a box on your counter to share with friends or just want a few glasses, Bota Box has the perfect portion. Their Cabernet Sauvignon is a heavy wine so it pairs well with heavier foods with strong flavors. It has aromas of black cherry with subtle notes of cedar wood and vanilla. As a juicy wine, it is medium in body and has rich cherry and plum flavors. A great way to pair it is with buffalo chicken pizza or Sriracha chicken bacon ranch skewers.
Black Box Pinot Noir
Like Bota Box, Black Box is one of the most popular boxed wine brands. Their premium wines have won 50 gold medals for quality and taste. Pinot Noir is one of the most popular wines to pair with food because it goes with a wide range of flavors and both rich and light foods. In fact, if you’re in doubt a Pinot Noir is generally a safe choice. It pairs well with oven-baked salmon just as well as a garlic roasted pork tenderloin (two very different dishes) or have a glass with a citrus glazed duck breast. Black Box’s variety is a light red with notes of strawberry, cherry, and even some rose petal. Berry and cocoa flavors leave you with a delicate and pleasant finish.
Wineberry Château Tassin Bordeaux Rouge
For the red meat eaters, this blend from Wineberry is the way to go. A mixed-berry flavor and round notes of spices are complimented by a high tannin content making it perfect for cleansing your palate between rich bites of meat. Pair it with beef tenderloin or a steak for a delicious meal. As a bonus, the Wineberry box is a beautiful wooden crate that looks great on the counter.
White Wine Pairings
Le Petite Frog Picpoul
From fun brand Le Petite Frog, this French white wine has high acidity making it great for lighter dishes and seafood. Fresh aromas of grapefruit, lime, and exotic fruit along with high acidity linger on your palate. Pair a glass with a pasta dish with olive oil, sea salt, oregano, and scallops, or a fresh Margherita pizza topped with organic basil leaves.
French Rabbit Family Reserve White
French Rabbit is another French winemaker who started a wine revolution based on respect for the Earth. All of their wines come in an eco-friendly Tetra-Pak container to keep the wine fresh inside. All of their delicious varieties are sourced from sustainable vineyards in Southern France. The Family Reserve delivers aromatic citrus flavors with a round, well-balanced acidity. It goes great with a grilled fish dish or a creamy alfredo pasta.
Bandit Pinot Grigio
Bandit is the portable version of award winning wine from the Trinchero Family Estates. Coming in 1 L Tetra-Pak containers Bandit wines encourage you to “Go Explore”. The wine is made in the USA from grapes grown in California. Their Pinot Grigio has notes of citrus, pear, lemon, green apple, with a delicate balance between sweet and tart. As a semi-dry wine, a glass (or carton) of Bandit’s Pinot Grigio goes great with a homemade gourmet grilled cheese or a grilled veggie kabob.
Although the above are some excellent boxed wines helping to break the negative stigma previously associated, they pair wonderfully with your favorite dinner. Be sure to try pairing your favorite boxed wines with different dishes and find out which food goes best with it. Or, start with your favorite food and find a boxed wine that compliments it and heightens your experience. Your perfect match is out there, so get sipping!
