The Duckling Drinks Wine in a Box

(More of a carton, actually)



French Rabbit
Vin de Pays D'Oc*
2004 Pinot Noir
Free from Holly 'cause she's awesome

This was very tasty and smooth to drink. Tastes of cranberry and...spearmint, maybe? Aftertaste of oranges. I recommend it, and the Tetra Pak packaging makes it super convenient to take to the beach or roller derby or anywhere they don't allow glass.



*One of the better known vin de pays** regions

**French for "country wine." Officially, this is the third-highest wine quality level in France's quality control system.

Thanks, epicurious.

The Duckling Drinks Merlot

Columbia Crest Grand Estates
Columbia Valley (WA)
2004 Merlot
$9.99 Central Market

When I tasted this I was surprised that it cost less than $10. It starts off spicy - minty and peppery - and then offers up wonderful sweet dark berry flavors like mulberries and blackberries, leaving the taste of vanilla creme behind. Several of the tasting notes I looked up mentioned mocha or cocoa flavors, but I really didn't get that at all. It had a velvety soft feel in the mouth, not too dry or astringent. I very much recommend this one, especially at the price.

The Duckling Drinks Malbec

Elsa Bianchi
Argentina
2004 Malbec
$7.99 at Central Market

After a disappointing first glass, I found that this wine really benefited from sitting open, "breathing" as it were, for about half an hour. Once I gave it that chance I was really blown away by this relatively cheap red. The flavor echoed the aroma of cherries and dark chocolate in addition to minty and peppery notes with a finish of sweet oranges and cloves. I definitely would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a big, flavorful red wine.

The Duckling Drinks Chenin Blanc

MAN Vintners
South Africa
2005 Chenin Blanc
$9.99 Central Market

I don't have too much to say about this wine, although I really did like it. It has a very refreshing sweet-tart flavor, which mostly reminded me of tropical fruits - banana, pineapple, and papaya. It's not a complicated wine, and it won't make you feel all brainy and sophisticated when you drink it, but it's quite tasty, and that's what counts.

The Duckling Drinks Bordeaux

Chateau* Grand-Jean
2005 Entre-Deux-Mers
$9.99 at Central Market

I had to do some research on this one because I have to admit that I am completely flummoxed by French wines. This is a white wine from Entre-Deux-Mers, a minor region of Bordeaux. White wines from this area are generally made with a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. This one happens to be a 50/50 blend.

The first thing I noticed was an appley aroma. The wine is quite acidic and sharp on the tongue. I tend to have trouble finding the vocabulary to describe dry white wines, but I tasted hints of hay, lemon, sea-salt, and pineapple. I've never seen anyone else use "sea-salt" to describe a wine, so I suspect there's another, more common word for that slightly bitter, mineral taste - maybe "flinty." I see that word a lot, but I'm not quite sure what it means. I, however, am going with "salty." Anyway, after really rolling it around in my mouth, I thought I picked up a little bit of sweet, peach flavor.

Overall, I don't really care for this wine. I'm not a fan of really dry whites, so it might be good for those of you who enjoy that kind of thing. It was perfectly fine to sip and think about, but I won't be buying more of it.

*There are a bunch of accent marks and triangly things that go over certain letters throughout this post, but I can't be bothered.

The Duckling Drinks Cabernet Sauvignon

Smoking Loon
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
$8.99 at Central Market

This is the first entry in my wine under $10.00 experiment. I first tried Smoking Loon wine when Catherine brought me a bottle of Chardonnay in exchange for cat-sitting for a weekend. Usually, I don't care for Chardonnay, but I really enjoyed it. When I spottted the Cab in Central Market I thought I'd give it a try, and I'm not alone. The Smoking Loon Cab recently became the best-selling 750 ml bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon in the U.S.

It's a pretty dry wine with a black cherry flavor and undertones of licorice and black pepper. I found it to be very tasty and drinkable, but without a lot of complexity or a big finish. Overall, a great value at about $9 bucks.



And, it comes with an amusing cork: