Box wines can score touchdown on Super Sunday

Wine may sound like sissy stuff for Super Bowl Sunday, but I'm betting the corks will be popping about the time the chicken wings and onion dip come out.

Local retailers are pushing box wines — perfect, since they're great buys for the equivalent of four regular bottles — along with reds with weight and big fruit that can tackle pizzas, barbecued pork, stick-to-the-ribs chili and spicy chicken wings.

Dave Burzynski, buyer and manager at Champane's Wine Cellars in Warren, puts it this way: "I tell people there are three picks for any of the typical Super Bowl spreads: Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and red blends."

Reds with some sweetness are picking up steam, and Champane's hot pick is Concannon's new Crimson & Clover , $8.99, a blend of Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Zinfandel.

"It's approachable," says Toma Mattia at Market Square in West Bloomfield Township, where it sells for $8.79.
Hit those store sales to get some great party picks

Here's what I like:

Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.5 liter, $10.99, Meijer: For depth of flavor, complexity and a ton of fruit, this dry red is a treat — a wine lover's best-kept secret.

J. Lohr Estates Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon, $12.99, Meijer, Hiller's: Jerry Lohr had his radar on the best growing sites in California 25 years ago, and it's paying off big time for consumers. This serious, dense red is a blast of black currant, plum and cherry, with silken tannins.

Big House Red Octavin Box Wine , $17.99, Hiller's: This is a stewpot of grape varieties, touting a ton of blackberry, raspberry and dark plum flavors. Box wines have an expiration date, so compare dates on the merchandise for the freshest box.

Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay, $12.99, Kroger: This classic still holds up, and the winery makes oceans of it and barrel-ferments it all and even stirs the lees.

Folie a Deux Menage a Trois Red , $7.97, Plum Market: This wildly popular red wine is a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It has soft tannins, gentle sweetness and layers of flavor. It scores with wine amateurs and wine pros. Star Zinfandel winemaker Scott Harvey introduced this wine. Folie a Deux was sold to Trinchero Family Estates (owner of Sutter Home) in 2004.

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc , $12.47, Plum Market: Just have to mention this one because it's a deal. And if you buy a case and use a coupon, it's $9.97. Many wine lovers consider it the world standard for Sauvignon Blanc: It's lean and tart-dry with gooseberry, grapefruit, passion fruit and lime flavors.