Vineyard in the foothills of the Andes (Photo:
Beatrice Murch)
If you’re a regular visitor to the local supermarkets, you may have noticed an
increasing number of boxed wines or “wine casks”, as the Australians prefer to
call them. Unfortunately, boxed wines have earned themselves a dubious
reputation since they first emerged in the late 1960s, because the stuff in the
box (or more, accurately, the bag) was invariably poor quality. Some wine
producers are still doing themselves - and us - a grave disservice by continuing
the practice of putting their cheapest products into wine casks. A couple of
weeks ago I tasted one which was an absolute killer; a nasty vengeful thing
which was barely drinkable. It tasted like the kind of fluid they’d use to clean
out the gearbox of a Bangkok bus.
Fortunately, there are some good boxed wines available. The
Mont Clair range are well-known everyday wines and easily available, but the
Australian Cedar Creek (Bt. 950 for a 4.5 litre box at Villa) are probably even
better and excellent value; the equivalent of Bt. 150 for a standard bottle.
That’s about twenty-five baht a glass. At that kind of price, it should be
possible to drink a decent wine every day with the evening meal.
The good thing about wine casks is that as the wine is
poured, the bag slowly collapses inside the box ensuring that the air doesn’t
come into contact with the wine. The result is that unlike a bottle, the wine
stays fresh for several weeks after opening.
Bodegas Centenarias Sauvignon
Blanc 2011 (white), Chile.
(Villa Bt. 799, 3 litre box)
This 3 litre box is equivalent to four 75cl bottles - so the
cost works out at around Bt. 200 for a standard bottle. That sounds good to my
ears. The wine is pretty good too. It’s a light gold colour and has a lovely
delicate floral aroma with grapefruit, lemon and hints of vanilla and spice. The
fruit is well forward on the taste with grapefruit and faint tang of orange.
It’s medium-bodied and quite dry too, with a pleasing touch of mineral acidity
that gives it a refreshing taste. It’s a satisfying easy-drinker and pleasantly
assertive too. With a fresh and lively mouth-feel, the wine would make a good
ap้ritif. It stands well above the competition and would make a good partner for
fish, seafood, chicken and many Thai dishes.
Bodegas Centenarias Cabernet
Sauvignon-Merlot 2010 (red), Chile.
(Villa Bt. 799, 3 litre box)
With an attractive aroma of black fruit, ripe cherries and a
peppery sprinkling of herbs, this is a rich red colour with purplish hues. The
fruit is well-forward on the taste and there’s quite a soft and attractive
mouth-feel supported by light supple tannins. It’s quite dry and medium-bodied
and has a pleasing dry finish. The vintage and alcohol content (which is 12.5%)
are printed on the box but they’re extremely difficult to find, but you can
amuse yourself for a pleasant five minutes searching for them, if that is, you
have the inclination.
With the money you save by buying boxed wines, you can buy
yourself a decanter, if you haven’t already got one. This is fairly essential
because it’s messy pouring a glass each time. In addition, the decanter will
help you keep an eye on how much you’re drinking. They have some attractive
decanters and wine jugs in various sizes at Pattaya Kitchen Ware, the kitchen
shop next to Foodland. Their 500ml decanter (just under a full bottle) is made
of light glass and ideal for everyday use. It’s plain and quite elegant and only
about sixty baht. I’ve seen the so-called “ship’s decanters” on sale in various
shops. They’re those heavy things with an abnormally wide base. Although they
would have been highly practical on a sailing ship buffeting across the
Atlantic, the wide base area probably aerates the wine too quickly.
By the way, these two Chilean wine casks come with a clever
rotating tap which requires a bit of care. If you don’t get the glass or
decanter exactly in the right position or turn the tap too vigorously, you’ll
probably finish up with wine all over the floor. And here, you may detect the
voice of experience.
