Clos des Lumieres makes a lovely French white from the Rhône region, and it’s a remarkable bargain. Yes, it’s in a box; don’t let that fool you. There are four bottles inside the compact cardboard package and at the flick of the wrist, out it comes into the glass (see the spout in the bottom left?). Why is this one nicely balanced and food-friendly, as so many boxed wines aren’t? Because the winemaker, Clos des Lumieres, blends viogner, white grenache and one of my grape favorites, rousanne, which enriches everything it touches. I’m not kidding…this easy-drinker comes to $8-9 a bottle and lasts seemingly forever in the fridge. Whatever you’re grilling tonight, it’ll pair nicely. Summer in a box.
Call ahead to your wine store and tell them the distributor is Winebow so they can bring it in for you quickly and easily.