I’m not going to lie; I appreciate wine that comes in a box, or in other non-bottle forms. And there really are pretty decent forms of box wine out there these days. My mom just about always keeps a box or two of the classier box brands in her pantry for easy access to the occasional glass. They’re a great low-pressure way to have wine… you don’t have to worry about drinking it in any set amount of time, you can just sip away glasses night after night until you’re squeezing the last out of the weird little bag.

But this all is tangential to the wine at hand, which is not in a box at all… it’s more like a juice box. I’ve been drinking French Rabbit wines for quite a long time, because I find everything about them delightful. They’re all inexpensive, but quite pleasing, and you get 250 milliliters more in their tetra pack than you would in a standard bottle. I love grabbing one of the reds for cooking, since I can use a little and then spin the cap back on and put it in the fridge for later without worrying it’ll go to waste. The whites (I’ve actually only had the chardonnay, which is fine, but I’m dead sick of chardonnays in general) are good for nursing over a few summer days and nights.

But, let’s focus on the Pinot Noir in particular. This is absolutely perfect to go in food or with food. It gave great character to my tomato sauce tonight, and did well in a glass next to it, too. Alone, it’s very drinkable and easy; it’s tannic, but still smooth and light. This actually works well as a chilled red, an idea that I’m warming up to (har har) more and more. It’s a little acidic on the tip of the tongue, with some sweetness in the aftermath.

French Rabbit wines make a great simple drinking wine, when you don’t want to think or worry much about what you’re drinking, but still want to have something good.

BUY IT AGAIN: Yep!