When it comes to single-serve wine options, there aren’t that many readily available. You can either go the tasting route, where you’ll get enough to sample a few wines at a time, but never really get to dig into the wine, or you can go the juice box route, where the quality of the wine oftentimes is lacking. (Not saying all boxed/ juice boxed wine is lesser quality, but a quick scan of my local grocery store shelf leans towards masstige wines rather than high-quality producers.) This was the main issue behind the birth of Wander & Ivy.
Wander & Ivy, a woman- and disability-owned company offers up single-serve wines that cuts out the worry of not having enough as well as the quality issue. Instead of thinking about whether or not a bottle of wine is going to go bad before you get back to it again (not an issue in my house), the company has come out with a variety of single-serve, 6.3-ounce glass bottles.
The wines themselves are certified organic and sourced from vineyards around the world. The Red Blend, for example, is Spanish (55% Bobal, 45% Merlot), the Chardonnay is Californian (91% Chardonnay, 4% Muscat, 3% Viognier, 1% Roussanne, 1% Other), the Rosé (70% Grenache, 20% Cinsault, 10% Syrah) is from Southern France, etc. In addition to these three, Wander & Ivy launched with two others, a White Wine (Italy, Pinot Bianco) and a Cabernet Sauvignon (California).
The White Wine was the one I was most drawn to for its crispness. The descriptor mentions honeysuckle and that did indeed come through for me. I had it with a pan-seared grouper with butter and garlic and they went swimmingly together. Of the reds, I preferred the Cab, specifically the coffee notes intermingled with dark berries. I liked the Red Blend well enough and I appreciated the 9% of other grapes in the Chardonnay that gave added depth to the fruit notes and helped muted the butteriness (something I don’t particularly care for). I didn’t try the Rosé, though as a fan of the style, I’d like to think it was delicious and perfect for rosé-ing all day.
Mostly, though, I liked the portability of the bottles. For the ones that I didn’t pair with food, it was fun to be able to put one or two in a bag and have them ready and good to go on a picnic or for walking around the apartment complex (in a koozie, of course). Also, they are the perfect size for fitting a straw, if that’s how you drink your wine. Not saying I do (usually), but the option is there.
In terms of price, you’re looking at around $64 for 8 bottles (which, $8/glass for 6 ounces is a pretty good deal if you’re thinking about it in terms of what you’d pay at a restaurant) and $194 for a 24-pack. Of the sale price, 1% is donated to charities that deliver healthy food to those in need.
