Wine in a Box Wednesday

Oh yes. On our last trip to Bin Ends we just happened to taste some wine, and one of those wines happened to come from a box, and we kinda sorta liked it.

Here’s a little info I found about this wine (source)

Cantina di Soave, which has been producing premium wines since 1898, incorporates 110 years of winemaking experience with cutting-edge viticultural techniques. “As the wine market continues to evolve, we recognized that the fastest growing category was missing its crown jewel—the world’s first Italian box wine,” said Enore Ceola, Managing Director of MW Imports, importer of Duca del Frassino (a Division of Mionetto USA, Inc.). “These wines represent our mission— to showcase premium Italian wine from the Venezie that over-delivers on quality, taste and appeals to today’s discerning wine consumer.”

Duca del Frassino Garganega/Pinot Grigio Tasting Notes

Duca del Frassino Garganega/Pinot Grigio, light straw in color, offers hints of white flowers on the nose followed by crisp, well-balanced flavors of stone fruits. This luscious, fruit-forward wine is a perfect aperitif, but also pairs well with seafood and light pastas. Garganega [gahr-gah-NEH-gah] is the dominant grape in Soave, the region’s signature white wine.

For $16 for 3 liters, this wine is a steal and an excellent summer barbeque option. It truly does have a lovely floral nose with some apple-y notes and a hint of peach. I think it would go really well with barbequed grilled chicken and salads, and it would be a great, inexpensive option. I am not sure exactly where I am in the boxed vs. bottled debate, and I am certain I won’t be drinking ALL of my wine out of a box, but it was fun to be able to try this. The BEST part about the Bin Ends experience for sure!

I normally try to spend some time pairing up our food and wine, but last night I just wanted to throw something quick and healthy together for dinner, regardless of its pairing with wine. I don’t know about you, but I have had an AWFUL allergy week, and all day yesterday I felt like I was half asleep. A rainy cold day did NOT help.

So I whipped up one of my favorite combos of flavors, a mixed bean coconut curry with some Trader Joe’s frozen edamame.

The sauce contained a can of coconut milk, a big bunch of chopped cilantro, a bit of grated ginger, lemongrass paste, and curry powder. I added a dried bean mix, which had been soaked for a few hours and was also from Trader Joe’s.

I let the mixture simmer for about an hour, then added some pineapple for sweetness. On the side, we had our first corn on the cob of the summer, topped with Kerrygold butter, of course.

It was yummy and filling,and although I was really tempted to just order some pizza based on how I felt, I am glad I pulled this together. Real food is easy, and it almost always feels better. Almost 🙂

What do you do when you REALLY don’t feel like cooking?

New England residents, don’t forget to check out my Olivia’s Organics giveaway!