Bota Box Riesling

Bota Box Riesling comes in a 3-liter bag-in-box, which is the equivalent of four standard 750 ml bottles. It's labeled as a United States wine from Massachusetts. Riesling in this format is meant to be drunk young and fresh, and the bag collapses as you pour, so little air reaches the wine. That means an opened box can stay in the refrigerator for several weeks, much longer than an opened bottle, and you can pour one glass at a time without a rush to finish it. Expect a light to medium body, bright acidity, and little to no oak. Aromas tend toward green apple, peach, and citrus, sometimes with a floral lift. Tannin is essentially absent in a white like this, so the structure comes from acidity, which keeps the finish clean and fairly short. Many boxed Rieslings lean off-dry to medium-sweet. If you're unsure which style you're buying, treat the first glass as a check and plan your food around it. Riesling pairs well with spicy cooking. Thai green curry, Szechuan dishes, and Indian food with moderate heat all do well, because a touch of sweetness and high acidity calm chili without flattening other flavors. It also works with roast pork, smoked or glazed ham, bratwurst, and fried chicken, where the acidity cuts through fat. For something lighter, try it with sushi, shrimp, or a salad that includes apple or fresh goat cheese. Salty cheeses such as Havarti or a mild cheddar are good matches too. Serve it well chilled, around 45 to 50°F, which in practice is a few hours in the refrigerator. Colder than that mutes the fruit, and warmer than that makes a sweeter style taste heavy. No decanting is needed, since the wine isn't built to open up with air. A standard white wine glass or a narrower Riesling tulip will concentrate the aromas better than a wide tumbler. This is a drink-now wine, not one for the cellar, so use it within the window on the box and don't hold it for aging.