Eco-friendly wine that tastes good too

Call me a skeptic, call me a wine snob, call me crazy, but seeing the words "eco-friendly" and the product packaged in a box did not give me high hopes about Yellow+Blue's wines.

Please note: I was wrong.

I tried the 2008 Malbec and 2008 Torrontes and both were "drink again" wines. The Malbec, a medium-bodied red, hails from Argentina's San Juan Province. The Torrontes, from Agrentina's Cafayate Valley, is a medium-weight white, not as airy as a Pino Grigio but far from an oaky Chardonnay.

And, Yellow+Blue wines are certified organic.

"Yellow+Blue wines are grown organically, without pesticides, harvested by hand, fermented with wild yeasts and the resulting natural wine is shipped in large, insulated tanks to North America for 'bottling' in Tetra Pak cartons," said Matthew Cain, resident of J. Soif, importer and owner of Yellow+Blue, in a company statement. "These steps greatly lessen the negative impact on the environment."

The Tetra Paks are 1 liter cartons made from 75 percent paper harvested from responsibly managed forests. Think over-sized adult juice boxes - although I would not recommend inserting a straw and sucking down the whole thing in a sitting. Plus, the box format with a plastic cap makes it easy to have a glass and store the rest for another night. I enjoyed both boxes over several nights and found that the wine kept surprisingly well.

Yellow+Blue wines sell for $11.99 per liter and are available in 30 states. See www.ybwines.com for additional information.