Every year I go through a tasting of box wines and am often pleasantly surprised. Box wines are losing their stigma as they are being re-positioned as environmentally friendly, and the packaging keeps the product fresh for weeks, even down to the last glass. A 3-liter box of my top pick this year, the 2008 Andes Peaks Select Cabernet Sauvignon Valle Central Chile $16.99, is the equivalent of four 750ml bottles at $4.25 each – a really good deal. While not a trophy wine, it is charming, approachable, and easy to drink. This is a light style of Cabernet Sauvignon that showcases the grape more than oak or alcohol, and is perfect for the warmer summer months. Serve with BBQ chicken, ribs, burgers, or burritos.

Sommelier Journal, June 2009

INTERVIEW Donald Ziraldo, Inniskillin, Ontario and British Columbia

Catherine Fallis, MS, ACWP

Noted for both extreme skiing and extreme winemaking, this northern pioneer describes how he helped launch the modern Canadian wine industry.

I first met Donald Ziraldo while researching

http://www.sommelierjournal.com/articles/article.aspx?year=2009&month=06&articlenum=40

Chablis, a lean, minerally French Chardonnay from the northern end of Burgundy is often aged in barrel but this 2006 Xavier Flouret Marly Chablis $24.99 from the Hamelin family is aged only in stainless steel tanks to preserve its freshness. I enjoy both styles, but in the warmer months enjoy the lighter, unoaked versions. This Chablis is medium-bodied with notes of lemon, lime, chalk, and crushed oyster shell. It is made with 30-year old vines farmed sustainably.