Agricola Punica Barrua I.G.T. Isola dei Nuraghi is a full-bodied, plummy and spicy red wine from the island of Sardinia in Italy. This wine is the result of a joint venture between a local cooperative winery, Cantina Sociale di Santadi, and Sebastiano Rosa, managing director of the Tuscan estate Tenuta San Guido. Tenuta San Guido is the producer of Sassicaia, the world’s most famous Super Tuscan wine.

Tuscan winemaker Giacomo Tachis serves as technical director. The idea here was to showcase the local old vine Carignano and the island style, but to add a touch of the Bordeaux varietals. The wine is blended with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot. A 750ml bottle of Barrua sells for $45.

This very rich, very sweet wine is made with 100% Scheurebe grapes grown on the Phelps home ranch in Spring Valley. In the style of German or Canadian Ice Wine, this honeyed, peach and apricot-laden wine is intensely concentrated but has a gorgeous counterpoint of bright acidity. A 375ml bottle sells for $50.

In Australia more folks buy wine in a box (cask) than in a bottle. They must be on to something.  Not only are these wines portable, easy to open, easy to serve, and come complete with a built-in preservation system, they are downright tasty! They are also very, very green – they are lighter to ship, and the efficient packing means less bottles, corks, and labels in the landfill or oceans. The cardboard is recyclable so only the mylar liners go in the trash.

I’ve reviewed box wine extensively over the past three months, and have to say I have been pleasantly surprised with the results.

One of my favorites is Pinot Evil, from the folks at Underdog Wine Merchants. The 3-liter box, which is equivalent to 4 750-ml bottles,  is $15. It is a light-bodied, fresh and slightly spicy Pinot Noir from Corsica, France, and reminds me more of a Cotes du Rhone. It is not at all oaky – an added bonus for those with an oak-sensitive palate.

Killer Juice Cabernet Sauvignon is another great release from Underdog Wine Merchants. This Central Coast Cab is mellow with ripe plum notes and has softer tannins than you might find in a Napa Cab for example, and is blended with 10% Petite Syrah which gives a spicy backnote. A 3-Liter box sells for $19.99.

For those looking for a bone dry, light, crisp white, the Almaden Mountain Chablis hits it out of the park. Most of the American white and pink box wines I tried had notable sweetness, but this one is beautifully dry. A 5-liter box retails for $11.99.