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I have never been a 'label' or designer type of girl but I do like good packaging. If I have been given something in a nice present bag or shopping bag I would keep it to re-use. If I have bought presents off auction sites or charity shops, I may even spend more on packaging than the present to smarten them up and look pretty.
So imange my horror when arriving in St Paul and going to one of our local 'caves' (@maspeyre) and being offered my favourite rose in a BOX. I was in a quandry I really like this Grenache based rose and it is perfect for lunchtime and sundowners but from a box?? Clare assures me it's the same wine I had before in a bottle, but in a box and cheaper. So what is my hesitation?
There has been a lot of text and discussion on closures recently and I think its fair to say that screw caps are here to stay and will probably continue to increase in usage. I am a fan, which has been noted before but that's different to an ugly box. There has also been a lot of chat about 'greener' bottles as in lighter, sometimes even plastic which are great for your picnic but not for your dinner table. In my humble opinion that's why box wine is out.
It reminded me of my first real memory of wine, my parents used to drink a wine called Rosanne, which I thought came in a box too but actually it was packaged in heavy based 2 litre bottles. I remember my parents pouring themselves some, in little pottery glasses and I loved the pinky colour against the terracotta, it all sounded and looked so romantic. Of course now that I'm all grown up and done a wine exam or two, I realise those pottery glasses were as 'bad' as an undecanted plastic bottle on the dinner table.
So did I buy the box of favoured rose, of course I did. I bought the 3litre one, also comes in 5l and 10ls. The 3l fits perfectly in my drinks fridge door and no guest has ever known it is there or ever been offered any. Bottle wine for the guests, thank you very much. I love the fact that it is even easier to access than a screwcap. When hubby is away working, I don't feel guilty about opening a bottle on my own. Its perfect for the odd glass at lunch time or a sneaky one while cooking dinner. I am a convert to the accessibility and LOVE the wine but would it stand proudly in all its box glory on my dinner table, NOT a chance.
On Friday hubby and I went for petit-dejeuner in our local cafe,(pic above, sweated blood to upload them, still working on mobile internet) good strong coffee without the London price tag we asked for a pastry and were pointed in the direction of the closest boulangerie. Hubby came back with two delicious pastries which we ate out the bag. Not quite silver service but delicious none the less.
Later we headed for another local cave (Cote d'Agly) and after a fine time of degustation we procceded to buy lots of local delights including ANOTHER box of wine, 10l this time, purely for hubby's consumption, oh and I suppose anyone else fancing a sneaky vin rouge.
So what conculsions do I come too? Pretty obvious really, in spite of tacky packaging, if the contents are quality and worth having, surely dodgy packaging is a small price to pay. Who knew I was such a packaging snob? Not I.
Tasting Notes:
Mas Peyre's Cote Catalan Rose 2012: The colour alone should delight you, pale salmon pink dancing in your glass. The fruit is upfront and bursting with red berries and hints of candifloss but countered by a backbone of steely acidity and well integrated alcohol at 12.5%.
Cote d'Agly - Saint-Paul Cuvee Du Chapitre 2011: Deep dark brooding red, with a delicious rich bouquet of black cherries and herby garrique underpinned by refreshing acidity with high (13.5%) but balanced alcohol. All that for under €3 a litre.
Pain aux raisin:
Rich, buttery, delicate pastry full of fruit perfect with petit cafe noir. (€1.30)
Vendage is upon us, more about that another time.
So imange my horror when arriving in St Paul and going to one of our local 'caves' (@maspeyre) and being offered my favourite rose in a BOX. I was in a quandry I really like this Grenache based rose and it is perfect for lunchtime and sundowners but from a box?? Clare assures me it's the same wine I had before in a bottle, but in a box and cheaper. So what is my hesitation?
There has been a lot of text and discussion on closures recently and I think its fair to say that screw caps are here to stay and will probably continue to increase in usage. I am a fan, which has been noted before but that's different to an ugly box. There has also been a lot of chat about 'greener' bottles as in lighter, sometimes even plastic which are great for your picnic but not for your dinner table. In my humble opinion that's why box wine is out.
It reminded me of my first real memory of wine, my parents used to drink a wine called Rosanne, which I thought came in a box too but actually it was packaged in heavy based 2 litre bottles. I remember my parents pouring themselves some, in little pottery glasses and I loved the pinky colour against the terracotta, it all sounded and looked so romantic. Of course now that I'm all grown up and done a wine exam or two, I realise those pottery glasses were as 'bad' as an undecanted plastic bottle on the dinner table.
So did I buy the box of favoured rose, of course I did. I bought the 3litre one, also comes in 5l and 10ls. The 3l fits perfectly in my drinks fridge door and no guest has ever known it is there or ever been offered any. Bottle wine for the guests, thank you very much. I love the fact that it is even easier to access than a screwcap. When hubby is away working, I don't feel guilty about opening a bottle on my own. Its perfect for the odd glass at lunch time or a sneaky one while cooking dinner. I am a convert to the accessibility and LOVE the wine but would it stand proudly in all its box glory on my dinner table, NOT a chance.
On Friday hubby and I went for petit-dejeuner in our local cafe,(pic above, sweated blood to upload them, still working on mobile internet) good strong coffee without the London price tag we asked for a pastry and were pointed in the direction of the closest boulangerie. Hubby came back with two delicious pastries which we ate out the bag. Not quite silver service but delicious none the less.
Later we headed for another local cave (Cote d'Agly) and after a fine time of degustation we procceded to buy lots of local delights including ANOTHER box of wine, 10l this time, purely for hubby's consumption, oh and I suppose anyone else fancing a sneaky vin rouge.
So what conculsions do I come too? Pretty obvious really, in spite of tacky packaging, if the contents are quality and worth having, surely dodgy packaging is a small price to pay. Who knew I was such a packaging snob? Not I.
Tasting Notes:
Mas Peyre's Cote Catalan Rose 2012: The colour alone should delight you, pale salmon pink dancing in your glass. The fruit is upfront and bursting with red berries and hints of candifloss but countered by a backbone of steely acidity and well integrated alcohol at 12.5%.
Cote d'Agly - Saint-Paul Cuvee Du Chapitre 2011: Deep dark brooding red, with a delicious rich bouquet of black cherries and herby garrique underpinned by refreshing acidity with high (13.5%) but balanced alcohol. All that for under €3 a litre.
Pain aux raisin:
Rich, buttery, delicate pastry full of fruit perfect with petit cafe noir. (€1.30)
Vendage is upon us, more about that another time.
Sounds like you're having a really rough time of it out there in France then Ruth, what with all the wine and the pastry and the coffee... Boo hoo x
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to comment. Did you expect French life to be any other way?? All in the sun. Happy days.
ReplyDelete