Long Island wine lovers who frequent campsites, pools, Jacuzzis or boats will know the problem: you want to drink your favorite local grape juice, but don’t want the hazard of breakable glass bottles or wine glasses anywhere near the area.
Problem solved! On the way to a recent beach camping excursion to Hither Hills State Park in Montauk, I stopped by the lovely Lieb Cellars Tasting Room in East Hampton. As we reported, they had started boxing their Bridge Lane red and white and had to taste for myself.
The deal was even better than I expected. For $46 I got a 3-liter box (equivalent to four 750 milliliter bottles) of the 2012 Bridge Lane Red Blend, a medium-bodied wine with a lot of black cherry and spice, pleasantly aromatized with Long Island terroir and BONUS! In a special summer deal, for an additional $4 I got a set of four Govino stemless, BPA-free polymer, shatterproof, reusable, recyclable drinking glasses with an ergonomic depression for the thumb. The set (which is available in flute, white wine or red wine shapes) usually goes for $12.
The wine was a big hit with my camping buddies (the box says it should stay fresh for a month after opening, but it didn’t last long enough to find out) and the glasses were a big step up from a red Solo Cup or the clunky (but cute) reusable plastic stemware I usually use. The thumbprint kept glasses from slipping (an occasional problem with stemless wineglasses) and they washed up well both at the campsite and in the dishwasher upon my return.
Boxed wine is generally considered to be more environmentally friendly than bottles because of the packaging. All I know is that in an unexpected bonus, the empty box made for great campfire kindling on our last night and that the whole package makes a great hostess gift if you are staying with friends out east this summer.
The boxes are only available at Lieb Cellars locations in Mattituck, Cutchogue, and East Hampton and at Empire State Cellars at Tanger Outlets in Riverhead, but look for them soon in your wine and liquor stores in the Tri-State area. The govino glasses deal is available only at East Hampton.
Lieb Cellars East Hampton • 26 Park Place, East Hampton, NY 11937 • 631.527.5100
