As part of their community outreach program, FoodBuzz likes to periodically buy our affections (on a strictly first come/first served basis, mind you) by giving us free stuff. This time around they reached generous new heights and sent us a box ‘o wine.

Now, before you get all judgmental and high-horsey you should know that this is actually good wine and not that nasty White Zinfandel that you started your hazy, queasy, headachy, wine-drinking career with (you know who you are). Black Box Wines has simply recognized that a bottle may not actually be the best wine delivery system ever invented and that the box – and it’s nifty internal bladder/bag thingy – just might be a vast improvement. Sure, a bottle’s got panache and all that but once it’s opened you’re pretty much committed (besides, we’ve heard that White Zin is available in a bottle too)…

A careful evaluation...

According to Black Box Wines they’ve packaged the wine this way to protect it from the detrimental affects of light and air. Which, of course, implies a few things about potential drinkers of their wine – most notably that: A) the drinker is a connoisseur of sorts who savors and enjoys wine and is loathe to let it oxidize, and B) is likely to not be the sort to finish a whole bottle of wine in one sitting. This then, of course, begs this question: why does Black Box wine come in a 3 liter container?

To the less arithmetically inclined among you we should mention that 3 liters is equal to 4(!) regular bottles of wine. So, while we can appreciate that the box can deliver a more consistent product, it also delivers it in gargantuan quantities. Can it be? Quality and quantity? Bravo, Black Box…bravo!

All ranting aside, we found that this particular Sauvignon Blanc was of the sort we normally go for and we’ve really enjoyed it so far. It’s very bright and citrusy and a great compliment to rich cheeses, olives, etc. Here’s their take on it:

The Sauvignon Blanc is a fresh and zesty wine featuring aromas of herbs and tropical fruit. This wine blends crisp acidity and a rich, fruit sweetness on the palate with a clean, dry finish. This refreshing and lively wine pairs well with most foods especially white meat and seafood dishes

We sampled it for the first time with a cobbled together plate of Salami, Brie, Prosciutto, Grilled Crostini, Fresh Fruit, and some awesome new Olive called Castel Vetrano that we got from the olive bar at Roth’s (which you must go try – they have them at LifeSource Natural Foods, too). They are big, fat, & green and have a wonderful fruity/butter flavor. By far our new favorite Olives.

Dad approves of the wine

Brie, Kiwi, Prosciutto, Grilled Crostini, Salami, and Castel Vetrano Olives

A while back we featured another of our favorite budget-friendly sparkling wines, but lately all of our love has been going to this one from Segura Viudas. It generally runs a touch higher than the Cristalino pricewise (about $7.50 a bottle or so) but we actually like it better (the Best label we gave the Cristalino notwithstanding). We think the flavor is a little more delicate (or something) and the color is a little lighter, too.

Segura Viudas has a very cool website you should go visit, which is where we found (and stole) this extremely hoity-toity description:

“A Reserve cava that accompanies any meal perfectly from start to finish. Pale straw yellow in colour, elegant and harmonious on the nose, and fresh and well balanced on the palate, where the predominance of Macabeo is evident. Ample flavours and a persistent, fine mousse.”

Well, la-tee-freakin’-da…

That little blurb is totally what we were thinking, too…totally. Obviously, we are extremely pro elegance and harmoniousness (nessness) here at The Haute Kitchen so this wine is a shoo-in for us.

Gotta git you some ‘o dat!

A few Sundays back the weather warmed up suddenly (randomly) and Julie and Sister Amy decided that the perfect weather called for a picnic. Amy & Julie have a talent for great get-together ideas – and for cobbling together all-star menus at the last minute. This one was certainly no exception.

Amy just happened to already have a baguette and all the ingredients for an Asparagus Fritatta. Julie was the dispatched to the store for Wine, Goat Cheese and Olives.

It should be noted here that Sister Amy’s Fritatta made a shockingly good (and shockingly resilient) finger food. As it baked it formed a bit of a crust that gave it some backbone. Sliced into wedges it kept it’s structure well, didn’t fall apart all over the place, and it was really fun to eat. It was very easy to imagine a backyard full of people wandering around, chatting and sipping Champagne and nibbling on Frittata. Just an FYI for your next picnic or whatever…

The star of the menu, however, had to be the White Sangria that they just “threw together”. While at the store Julie had picked up a selection of Citrus Fruit and two gigantic bottles of an inexpensive White Wine. After experimenting a little with the ratios of fruit, ice, wine, and sugar they eventually struck gold. Their Sangria was light and refreshing with just a touch of sweetness.

All in all we wound up with a pretty sophisticated spread of appetizers and finger foods that was also pretty inexpensive (and just plain pretty). To top it all off, the White Wine Sangria was amazing and was really refreshing. We should probably give yet another shout out to Lyndie for putting the Sangria bug in our brains… Thanks Lyndie!

This is definitely going to be the summer of Sangria. They’re just too delicious, affordable, and easy to not make them all the time. Here’s what went into ours:
1 Lime, sliced
1 Blood Orange, sliced
1 large Meyers Lemon (or two small ones), sliced
2 Grapefruits, 1 sliced and 1 juiced
1 1.5 liter bottle of inexpensive White Wine (we spent about $8 a bottle for ours)
Ice Cubes
Sugar to taste

Toss all the fruit slices and juice into your most gigantic pitcher, pour in the Wine, top it up with ice, stir/mash it all together and sweeten it to taste with a little sugar.

We got a little fancier with the varieties of fruit than is really necessary. Regular old oranges and lemons would be great in this and might save you a buck or two.

It’s going to be fun to make a Red Sangria now (Lyndie’s specialty). Maybe we’ll try throwing some berries in it once their in season, who knows? We’ll be sure to post the results of any experimenting we do.

Cheers!

This recipe was originally stolen from Sister Amy who over the last few years has blossomed into a seriously top-notch cook. The Tuscan White Bean Soup she made was fabulous, and it was actually the vehicle for our first Garlic Crostini (which we should probably credit her for, too).

However, since we’ve never learned to leave well enough alone we, of course, tweaked it a little. Read more »