2004 Rain Dance Shiraz

Price: $16
Maker: Westcorp International
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: 3 liter box
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Westcorp International, a South African wine firm, offers Rain Dance Shiraz as one of a series of box wines with that label. Currently shipping is the 2004 vintage. The packaging for this series is colorful, and the name alludes to an old African tradition, the dance that brings the life sustaining rains. The wine is packaged in a 3 liter box with squared-off corners. The spout is a twist-spigot, but doesn’t seem to have any of the dribble problems one finds with some of the cheap American boxes with this kind of dispenser.

It’s rare that the description of a wine on the packaging doesn’t over-promise, but the Rain Dance box says simply, “a smooth, easy drinking red wine with berry and fruit flavors.” We agree with that minimalist description. The wine has a pleasing aroma of spice and berries, and the flavor is smooth - berries and oak, with some peppery spice. The finish is slightly acidic, which plays well with the rest of the experience. This may not be a big, complex red, but it’s a crowd-pleaser that should prove enjoyable to a range of palates. This would be a nice selection for a cookout or group event where you want the practicality of a box but want to go a bit upscale. The Rain Dance Shiraz box would also be perfect for the “glass of red wine a day” drinker who doesn’t want to contend with oxidation issues in partially-consumed bottles.

2004 Trove Cabernet Sauvignon

Price: $25
Maker: Trove Wines, Madera, California
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 3-liter box
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

At least on US shelves, Trove Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 is likely to be one of the pricier box wines on the shelf. We saw it listed for $25 for a 3-liter box, but found it on sale for $20. At its list price, it’s hardly a costly wine - a bit more than $8 per bottle - but it’s far more costly than the cheap 5-liter wines from Franzia, Almaden, and Vella… and it’s a bit higher than most of the other boxes, like Hardy’s, Wine Block, Wine Cube, etc.

So is the Trove boxed cabernet worth shelling out a few extra bucks for? Perhaps… this cab has an intriguing aroma, with a prominent butterscotch note mixing with the more expected spice and berry. The flavor is rich and complex, with jammy berry flavors, soft tannins, and good acidity. The finish lingers. This is indeed a nice wine, and people who have turned their nose up at boxed wine in the past will be pleasantly surprised, if not actually shocked.

Trove Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Price: $25
Maker: Trove Wines, Madera, California
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 3-liter box
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

“… this cab has an intriguing aroma, with a prominent butterscotch note mixing with the more expected spice and berry. The flavor is rich and complex, with jammy berry flavors, soft tannins, and good acidity. The finish lingers. This is indeed a nice wine, and people who have turned their nose up at boxed wine in the past will be pleasantly surprised, if not actually shocked.”

Rain Dance Shiraz 2004

Price: $16
Maker: Westcorp International
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: 3 liter box
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

“It�s rare that the description of a wine on the packaging doesn�t over-promise, but the Rain Dance box says simply, �a smooth, easy drinking red wine with berry and fruit flavors.� We agree with that minimalist description. The wine has a pleasing aroma of spice and berries, and the flavor is smooth - berries and oak, with some peppery spice. The finish is slightly acidic, which plays well with the rest of the experience. This may not be a big, complex red, but it�s a crowd-pleaser that should prove enjoyable to a range of palates.”

Delicato Merlot 2003

Price: $16
Maker: Delicato Family Vineyards
Varietal: Merlot
Packaging: 3 liter box, pushbutton spigot
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

We’ve been tasting mostly bottled wine lately, so it was nice to get back to our first love, boxed wine, by trying Delicato Merlot 2003. We found dark berries, oak, and sweet vanilla in the nose of this merlot. On the palate, we found cherry and blueberry notes, with enough tannin structure to make the wine interesting. Overall, if you are looking for a respectable merlot that offers the convenience of a box, this Delicato offering is a fine choice.

Delicato enters their wines in numerous tasting competitions, and often bags some medals. Their 2002 Merlot won a silver at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and was scored at 86 points in the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide. A year earlier, the 2001 Delicato Merlot was rated one of Wine Spectator’s “100 Best Wine Values” and won gold medals both San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and the New World International Wine Competition.

Vendange Shiraz 2004

Price: $3.50
Maker: Vendange Wine Cellars, Lathrop, California
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: 500 ml Tetra pack
Alcohol Content: 13.0%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Vendange Shiraz 2004, like its sibling Vendange Merlot, comes in a cute half-liter Tetra pack. As we previously noted, this slender container seems far smaller than a half liter, and is a monument to packaging efficiency. I suppose a square pack, rather than the current mostly octagonal shape, would take up even less space, but I suspect the octagonal scoring adds some stiffness and avoids bulging of the sides that might occur in a square shape.

The Vendange Shiraz is quite drinkable considering its juice-pack container. Its nose is quite robust, with blackberry, spice, and leather notes. Its flavor is a nice balance of berry, plum, oak, and spice. The finish is acceptably long, with trailing notes of black pepper. We found that this Shiraz was helped by letting it breathe a bit - our first pour after opening the pack had some rough edges that seemed to be mellowed by a bit of air.

As with the Merlot, the major reason to choose Vendange Shiraz over other good Australian or California Shirazes is the packaging. It’s not going to be the wine you take to the boss’s Christmas party, but for tailgating, picnics, or even home consumption it’s a great choice. The multiple varietals that Vendange puts in these convenient packs means it’s easy to please multiple tastes without ending up with a bunch of partially consumed bottles. There’s no collapsing bag inside these packs, so one would have the same concern for a partially consumed tetra pack as with a bottle. Then again, at .5 liters one wouldn’t expect to have the pack hanging around for days.

Stonehaven Shiraz

Price: $20
Maker: Stonehaven Vineyards, Riddoch Highway, Padthaway, South Australia
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: 3-liter box
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

We’ve liked several of Stonehaven’s bottle offerings, and Stonehaven Shiraz (Box) is definitely in the same family. This is a non-vintage offering, but we found it fairly similar to Stonehaven Shiraz 2004.

The nose of this medium-bodied Shiraz is mostly cherry fruit. The wine’s flavor has cherry and plum notes, with some of the expected pepper and a hint of vanilla. The finish adds some oak. The tannins are balanced, and for an inexpensive wine, this Stonehaven Shiraz has good structure.