Many wineries are turning to bag-in-box (BIB) packaging for their wines to reduce their carbon footprint among other things. BIB wines are lighter to transport, take up less space and keep wine fresh longer than glass bottles. Alileo is one such brand packaged in a box. In addition to BIB, Alileo packages sparkling wine under crown cap and cork and cage as in Champagne.
Alileo’s current wines are sourced from Sicily’s west coast and made using indigenous varieties, Grillo and Zibibbo, along with Syrah. Today we are sharing a taste of Grillo and Syrah, both of which we received as tasting samples.
Alileo Young Bianco, Terre Siciliane IGP — light golden color with aromas of lime, dry grass and roasted nuts. Flavors include oat hay, dry grass, citrus and dried orchard fruits with a nutty finish. Barely noticeable tannins are present. 13% abv. SRP $19.99 (1.5L)
The box label identifies the grape variety as 100% Young, which I think consumers will fine unhelpful, if not confusing. On the Alileo website the wine is listed as Young Grillo and a photo of the back of the box identifies the grape as 100% Grillo.
Alileo Syrah, Terre Siciliane IGP — dense ruby with generous aromas of berry compote and dry brush. Flavors include ripe blackberries, blueberries and berry bramble with very firm, drying, gauzy tannins. 13.5% abv. SRP $19.99 (1.5L)
According to package labeling on both wines:
- 100% unfiltered
- 85% less landfill
- 50% less transport emissions
- 30 days fresh after opening
- 2 bottles of wine
Sip the white wine with appetizers and conversation as guests arrive and move on to the Syrah when the ribs and burgers come off the grill.
I found a couple of online retail listings to purchase Alileo wines in addition to the Alileo website.
Thanks to 143 Communications for organizing our tasting.
Cheers!
