Several weeks ago, we wrote about the
Big Green Box line of wines. Where there is a big box, there will surely be a little box - and so there is.
We held off on telling you about the Little Green Box wines until the unofficial start of summer, the time of outdoor fun, food and games. The Little Green Box wines are packaged in small 500 milliliter soft boxes, and are the absolute perfect solution for enjoying wines outside of the home - on picnics, boating, sports, the pool or just lying in the sun in the backyard.
Being the type of people that we are, we worry about overindulgence, especially when the wines are consumed outside the home and you may have to drive. The question arises: How much wine can someone drink without going over the legal blood alcohol level? To solve this problem, we suggest you visit an online blood alcohol calculator, such as the
one at this website, and input your statistics to determine exactly how much alcohol you can consume and still stay legal. Guessing how much wine you can drink without passing the limit just does not work, and the information this site produces could prove to be invaluable.
Little Green Box Moscato ($4)Moscato is one of the most popular summertime white wines of them all. Even those who enjoy a dry wine will enjoy this wine's sweetness.
The aroma is heavy with the perfume of apricot, orange blossom and lilac. On the palate are slight highlights of the flavors of ripe pears, with a background of lemon that continues through to the finish.
Not only will this wine go well with almost every food that is made outdoors, it also is a great sipping wine.
Little Green Box Pinot Grigio ($4)An Italian wine, yes. Relegated to only Italian foods? A big no. Little Green Box Pinot Grigio is an almost universal wine in that it can accompany a great many foods.
Salads with sharp or spicy dressings are just made to be accompanied by a pinot grigio.
This wine prominently displays the aromas of lemon and green tea, with a flavor true to the variety's reputation - crisp green apple with a mineral-laced lemon background.
Little Green Box Pinot Noir ($4)Since we are talking about nearly universal wines, we have found a pinot noir to be the best accompaniment for anything that comes off of a barbecue.
This wine displays the aromas of dark cherries and red summer berries, which carry on to the flavor and then to the finish.
Little Green Box Cabernet Sauvignon ($4)Cabernet sauvignon is not a variety often associated with summer outdoor activities, but rather with fire places, overstuffed leather chairs, cigars and chess. The Little Green Box Cabernet Sauvignon kicks all of that out the window and shows the fun side of the variety.
The aroma is heavy with the scent of cherries and black currants and an undertone of cedar. The flavor is broad and layered, accenting the aroma but with a noticeable, additional berry component.
Little Green Box Chardonnay ($4)Chardonnay, the world’s most popular white wine, also has a fun side.
This example of the variety is tropical in nature, exhibiting a melding of the flavors and aromas of apple, pear and pineapple with an incredible balance of the fruit acids and the flavor.
Do not restrict this wine to the usual fare reserved for chardonnays, as it can accompany a broad spectrum of foods and serve as a sipping wine.
Little Green Box Sweet Red Wine ($4)Bowing to the increased popularity of sweet wines, Little Green Box introduces their sweet red wine.
This is a delightful, full fruit-flavored wine that can fill the bill when served with barbecued ribs, and because of its sweetness, can accompany most of the foods that we enjoy outdoors - from steak to hot dogs.
Nixa resident Bennet Bodenstein is a wine columnist and helps manage ArticlesOnWine.com with his wife, Sheila. He can be reached at frojhe@suddenlink.net.
