LENNDEVOURS

The Roundup: WBW #36 Get Naked (Finally)

I know that it's taken me a while to get this roundup written and posted, but my back is finally feeling pretty good and I'm able to sit up for long periods of time. That's certainly good news and something to drink to, right?

So on to WBW!

Thank you to every single blogger (or non-blogger) who has ever participated Wine Blogging Wednesday. What started as a simple, fun idea (and a rip off of a Is My Blog Burning) has make it through 36 iterations and is still going strong. It's been a ton of fun and there are some fun things happening at WBW headquarters, check it out now and often.

This roundup isn't as in-depth and creative as I had planned, but I didn't want to wait any longer to get it posted. So, without further adieu, I give you the 32 participants in WBW #36.

WBW #31: Trove 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (California)

Wine Blogging Wednesday is upon us again people and this time around, that means wines in non-traditional packaging.

I'll admit is--as open as I was to the theme, I had my reservations. First of all, I've never had a bag-in-box wine that I've found even gulpable. Second, I was worried that we'd lose a lot of our wine geek participants.

I guess we'll find out in the next day or two if some of our more "high class" WBWers stuck with us and expanded their horizons a little bit. I hope they do and I hope they found some interesting wines, even if they are more interesting as curiosities than they are as something worth drinking.

I actually had a much harder time finding a boxed wine than I expected. I didn't want to choose Franzia or Almaden for WBW. I knew I wouldn't like those. And a local wine shop that used to have single serving boxes of Bandit Trebbiano didn't have them anymore when I went there.

So, after stopping at three shops, I came upon this three-liter box of 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon from Trove. It cost me $22, which when you consider that it holds the equivalent of four regular bottles, is a pretty good deal.

IF the wine is good.

And you know what...I wouldn't call it "good" or something I'd normally rave about, but it was much better than I expected.

Is it simple? Yup. But you know what? It's not offensive in the least and you can even taste just a little bit of varietal character. Lots of red berries, especially cherries, throughout, fruity but not Australian or overdone. Very little oak and rather juicy, medium body.

I'd serve this at a big bash attended by people who enjoy wine but aren't geeks. It seems like a perfectly fine wine to serve at a big BBQ in the summer where burgers and grilled chicken are the primary fare.