French rabbit Wines
Your Reward for Less Waste? How About More Wine.
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I love wine. I love to drink it, to discuss its complex flavors, and, most of all, to enjoy the time shared with friends over a good bottle. Well, if the folks at French rabbit wines have their way, I’ll be enjoying my vino from a carton from here on out. What’s that you say? You’ve had box wine. Not like this, my friend.
To be fair, French rabbit wine’s Tetra Prism is hardly a box. This 100% recyclable container produces 90% less waste than its glass counterpart and the entire package only accounts for 4% of the total product weight as opposed to 35-50% for a glass bottle. The sad truth is that we don’t do enough to protect Mother Earth. Who knew drinking wine could be part of that contribution? What then is the reward for your greener endeavors? The Tetra Prism holds 2 extra glasses over a traditional wine bottle. Sounds Tastes like a win-win.
The fact is, there is nothing wrong with packaging wine in a box. Box wines have gotten a bad rap because, simply put, the wine in the box sucks. To put your mind at ease, I enlisted the always ready Ben Bowers to help sample a few of French rabbit’s offerings. Here’s what we thought:
Merlot
I found the Merlot to be very bold after a subtle start. I almost wrote off this wine at first sip, but that would have been a mistake. Give it a second to state it’s case. The finish is where this Merlot comes to life. I don’t like overly-dry wines (read: Cabernet Sauvignon) and, in that regard, the Merlot didn’t disappoint. It managed to walk the fine line between fruity and spicy. I could easily see this accompanying me to a summer BBQ or picnic (no corkscrew needed) where Chardonnay usually rules.
Chardonnay
When Patrick “twisted” my arm to try out a boxed chardonnay, thoughts of solo cups and “Tour de Franzia” from my college days came to mind. Looking at the French rabbit, though, made me realize this would be an entirely different affair. Despite being in a box, the design and artwork was classy and implied refinement. I knew I wouldn’t be embarrassed to serve this at home or offer it as a gift to friends. However, since Gear Patrol’s all about first-hand testing, while cooking some fish with my girlfriend, we decided to give the chardonnay a try. I’ll state up front that, given my druthers, I’ll always be a red kind of guy, but this chardonnay represented its lighter-colored counterparts admirably. Since it’s not overwhelmingly fruity, it definitely packs enough body to handle robust meals while still maintaining a refreshing edge. The Tetra Prism packaging also extended the wine’s lifespan, thanks to its screw top design, and the last glass it produced 3 days later still tasted excellent. You can’t ask for much more from a casual white table wine.
Conclusion
In our humble opinion, bringing a bottle of wine to a party makes a statement. Besides the customary thank you, your selection is a reflection of not only yourself, but also of what you think about your company. This is not the wine to introduce to wine snobs. They won’t see past the packaging. To us, that’s what made it unique and interesting (not to mention environmentally conscious). Besides, the packaging is an instant conversation starter. At $10, not only won’t it break the bank, but it’s a step towards preserving our planet.
The next time you’re tasked with selecting your dinner party’s wine ponder this - 25 truck loads of empty glass wine bottles could fit in 1 truck if they were empty French rabbit cartons.
Ed Note: French rabbit has partnered with American Forests to help replant trees in areas damaged by disease, logging, or natural disasters. For every 4 French rabbit wines sold, one tree is planted.
Cost: $10
Please note:
"Your" means "belonging to or associated with a person (e.g., being addressed)".
"You're" means "you are".
You sound like a child when you get this stuff wrong. You meant: "The next time YOU'RE tasked with selecting your dinner party’s wine…"
Other GP,
Thanks for that catch. Feel free to alert me directly to any copy mistakes via doverby@gearpatrol.com, from here on out. If YOU'RE looking for a way to dodge real work for a few hours, there are likely a few more hidden gems of mistakedness sprinkled all across our humble site for you to find. Perfection may not be achieved here for some time to come. We will, however, continue to try.
Grammar Police, thanks for the catch and we appreciate our readers watching our back in terms of our writing. While I'll admit that kind of error is basic and should have been caught, you'll have to forgive us for not being perfect. Gear Patrol is a labor of love, and unfortunately no one on staff is a professional writer. Our copy chief Dusty Overby can also only check so much copy a day, while dealing with a full time job and a family. If you find more mistakes though please let us know, and we'll make sure to get them fixed.
the rabbit wines look pretty tasty, and i think they would make a welcome addition on my next camping trip
Frankly, as a Gear Patrol reader, I think that this comment is in bad taste. In fact, you sir, are the one that sounds like a child telling on your siblings to mother.
Indeed, especially since there's no worry about breaking the bottle.
Dan, I'm also loving the "portability" of these. Tailgates, picnics, etc. Love the idea of squishing the carton when done. Also, reminds me of soup in a carton, which also rocks. In for one Pinot Noir!
To: Grammar Police
Cc: Over_Zealous@grammar.com, Anonymous Commenters
Subj: Corrections
Cheers for the lesson from overseas. We welcome you, and anyone, to notify us of any corrections and errors at corrections@gearpatrol.com. Unlike the DMV, there will be prompt action. Nota bene - We really do appreciate our readers finding errors as it validates our efforts to know you hold us accountable. Though, we feel it best to reserve comments to the subject at hand.
Cordially,
Eric Y.
p.s. Those that disagree or prefer anonymous commenting should refer to the bottom left of Gear Patrol's footer
One charity I cannot get enough of us tree planting. I'm not a tree hugger by any particular stretch, but I do love the idea of more of them. Knowing that anything providing me vino while also getting the earth one step closer to having another tree is great in my books.
Patrick, Boisset Family Estates offers a slew of other wines in eco-friendly packaging (Tetra-Pak, PET) that are picnic friendly (perfect for the summer) including the Bonus Passus, Fog Mountain, and the Yellow Jersey, and I'm sure Eric can attest to this as well.
Thanks for the heads up. I will be sure to check it out.
Alan, I haven't gotten to try this yet though I'm planning on it. Wanted to chime in with agreement on Black Box. It's probably my favorite box wine. Maybe it's my favorite because my wife really likes it… and that is a very good thing.
I tried some of this wine. It's not very good. I would go for the Black Box Merlot or Cabernet first. It is very drinkable and keeps for a long time.