Fill ’Er Up

If you need a reason to get over your anti-boxed-wine bias, here it is: a round, fruity, earthy Côtes du Rhône from a mini-cooperative known for practicing sustainable agriculture. “From the Tank” is a newly released collaboration between the Estézargues co-op in the southern Rhône and Jenny & François Selections, an importer specializing in so-called natural wines, made largely without chemical manipulation. Before settling on a medium-bodied blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan for their inaugural vintage, “we tasted a bunch of tanks,” says Jenny & François’ Jenny Lefcourt, who also chose the utilitarian name and helped design the three-liter cardboard box, which compactly houses the equivalent of four bottles. What you lose in cork-pulling ceremony, you gain in reduced-packaging savings, and the vacuum-sealed pouch preserves the wine and keeps it fresh for up to three weeks. From the Tank is available by the glass at iCi, Back Forty, Bette, and the Ten Bells, and by the box at Discovery Wines ($39.99) and Alphabet City Wine Co. ($38).