Oeno files

Photo: Martha Williams

Hails from Cases de Pene, a small village near the Pyrenees mountains in France

Makeup 50 percent grenache, 30 percent syrah, 20 percent carignan

Profile Well constructed, with a lot of fruit and a little tar in the nose. In the mouth, spicy blackberries attack the taste buds, tannins stick to the teeth and a smoky finish clings to the throat.

Tasting notes Lately I’ve noticed a pattern to my wine drinking: I open a bottle. I pour a glass. I put the bottle in the fridge. And then I forget it ever existed. So it was in the spirit of frugality that I picked up this wine-in-a-box. Well, frugality and sobriety both. The vacuum bag inside the box, which keeps the wine fresh for months, not only eliminates the lost funds in a bottle gone bad; it also eases the pressure to polish it off. And to think, there was once a time when boxed wines’ quality (or the lack thereof) gave them a reputation for imparting hangovers.

Pair it You’ll look a little silly carrying this into a restaurant (though the handle should make it much more convenient). Still, taking it to Buenos Aires Forever (939 N Ashland Ave between Augusta Blvd and Walton St, 773-486-8081) for some steak won’t hurt. Don’t worry about finishing it: While the box holds the equivalent of four bottles, it closes right back up so you don’t have to worry about pesky open-container laws.

Buy it For $19.99 at Binny’s (213 W Grand Ave between Wells and Franklin Sts, 312-332-0012)