Top 10 Italian Wine Boxes and Crates

The 10 best Italian wine boxes from Tuscany, Piedmont and Montalcino

 

Sassicaia - Simple yet elegant design with a branded lid

Ornellaia - Branded on the front, back side and lid with an engraved design of the vineyard

 

 

Castel Giocondo - Flip-top lid with beautifully designed embellishments on all four sides

 

Tiburzi Taccalite - Rare 12 bottle Italian crate, with unique style font text on all four sides

 

 

Poliziano - Branded engraved on all four sides with a small Baroque style design

 

Pieve Santa Restituta - Unique piece with Pergola style sides and lid

 

 

Bruno Giacosa - Another rare 12 bottle Italian crate made of Tuscan pine and tongue and groove corners

 

 

Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello Montalcino - Large and highly detailed engraved design on the flip-top lid

 

Michele Castellani - Classy font with imperial logo on the front and back sides as well as the lid

 



 



 Falletto - The only other 12 bottle Italian wine crate I know of. The front and back long sides are embossed with the large picture of the wineries vineyard

 

 

There are a lot of 6 bottle wine boxes, but not that many 12 bottle Italian crates. If you'd like to see our current selection visit www.winepine.com

 

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Chateau Y'quem Wine Crates and Boxes

Country: France


Region: Suternes


Production: Approx. 5,000 - 9.000 cases per vintage


Grape: Mostly Semillion


Crate design: Until recently, the Y'quem logo has been the classic Cote of Arms design. Some of the last and latest vintages have introduced a new, more simple logo which is a large Y with a crown above it.


Rarity: Fairly rare, as Y'quem has a very small production. Crates come in based on when they are released. This is generally once or twice a year.


Crate designation: Exclusive Class ($50.00)


Our opinion/history: Y'quem is one of two wineries designated as "Superier Grand Cru". The other winery with this designation is Cheval Blanc. Most of the clients that purchase wine crates and boxes of Yquem are private investors looking to complete their collection, but oftentimes people enjoy the previous Y'quem Cote of Arms logo for it's design. Since it's a highly esteemed and recognized winery, Bordeaux style wine cellar enhancements can also benefit as well.

Visit us at www.winepine.com to get some wine crates or boxes for your own unique project!

 

Patrick -

 

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Wine Crates: Investment or Accessory?

Winepine.com - Portchester, NY March 8^th 2012 – There’s nothing quite like the vintage appeal of a wine crate. Wine crates add charm to wine cellars yearning for a twist of authenticity.

In the last 10 years the United States has been severely affected by the “wine bug”. Sales of fine wine are up an average of 12% every year, even in a down economy. The US has dramatically changed its relationship to wine.

As we’ve moved from Budweiser to Chateau Beychevelle, a new playground for the affluent has emerged: The private wine cellar. This has become a place that’s not for just storing wine anymore. Gone are the days of endless rows filled with wine bottles in a dull cave-like structure. The modern wine cellar has become a haven for social gatherings where rare wine bottles are opened, chats about the future take place, old friends are cherished and new friends are made. The modern wine cellar is often two or more rooms; One is 58 degrees for the wine, and the others are cozy with plush amenities for the enjoyment of company.

This evolution of the wine cellar has spurned an entire industry catering to its beautification. There are wine cellar designers, architects, builders and interior decorators all specializing in creating the perfect wine cellar for you. With the wine cellar creators comes the wine cellar accessories, and we all love those!

Introducing the original wooden wine crate -

Wine crates are the staple of any wine cellar. There are different sizes and styles that can fit anywhere. Wineries all over the world make them, and each country makes them a little differently. High-end wineries craft them to protect their most valuable wines. Most wine crates are branded with the logo of the winery that made them, and that logo is likely to be hundreds of years old (If not thousands). Wine crates were mankind’s first packaging type, so many of these logo designs represent very ancient artwork.

The beauty part about wine crates is they serve two décor enhancing purposes: They’re made specifically to store wine, and the logo designs make for very eye-catching show pieces. They also serve another little known purpose: Wine crates are an investment.

If you have a collection of fine wine from the same winery and vintage, you need the wine’s original crate. This is because wine sold in its original crate yields 10% – 15% more at auction. This is a substantial premium!

Looking to sell a house? A wine cellar increases the value of a home as an addition. More people are drinking wine, so a wine cellar can be a major reason to buy a home. Home stagers have picked up on this trend, and are using wine crates to fill-in areas of a house that look too plain.

Wine crates themselves are an investment. In the last 8 years we’ve witnessed a triple in price for original wine crates. This is thanks in part to four reasons:

·         Original wine crates were built to last for generations

·         90% of the world’s wineries are using cardboard boxes and making less wooden wine crates. Within the next 10 years it will be nearly impossible to acquire them

·         Fine wine stores, investors and collectors realize the value of original wine crates, and they’re utilizing them for storage and display

·         Wineries that produce very expensive wines only produce 5 – 10 thousand cases of wine per vintage (one case is either 6 or 12 bottles of wine). Half of those wine bottles are purchased before the vintage is even introduced to the public. This means that wine crate production is very limited every year.

There’s already a major shift happening with fine wine makers and wine crates. We can see this most in Napa Valley. The vast majority of Napa winemakers are using cardboard boxes as an economical alternative to wooden wine crates. While this option is cheaper in the short-term, it does carry a grave disadvantage: The wine itself will be viewed as cheaper as well.

The smart higher-end Napa wineries such as Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate and Hundred Acre realize this and continue production of their signature wine crates. The end result has been higher dollars per wine bottle and a cult following of loyal collectors and investors. In the end these wineries produce less and make more. I strongly believe that wooden wine crates contribute greatly to the success of a wine maker.

Whether accessory, investment or both, the wine crate has proven itself time and again to be the best way to keep fine wine. For the last thousand years no packaging has ever truly replaced it, and our appreciation for the wine crate has never been quantified.

Specializing in unique wine cellar decoration and home décor. Winepine offers the world’s finest original wine crates, wooden wine boxes and wine crate panels. We also custom make wine crates and boxes personalized with your artwork or logo.

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Chateau Clerc Milon

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux

Sub-region: Pauillac

Classification: Fifth Growth, Grand Cru

Production: Varied based on the single vineyard

Grape: 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (2%)

Crate design: Clerc Milon has a simple but unique picture of two Renaissance characters dancing. It's not an especially high detail design, but it frequently catches your eye.

Rarity: Uncommon. The Clerc Milon winery doesn't have an especially large production, so there aren't that many crates available per vintage.

Crate designation: Exclusive Class ($50.00)

Our opinion/history: There has been a great deal of issues that Clerc Milon faced since the beginning of the 19th century. The label was originally created by Jean-Baptiste Clerc; the owner of the land and winery. During this time, Chateau Clerc Milon was placed under the 1855 Classification as a Fifth Growth winery. After that, everything seemed to go down hill..

The winery is a bit of a mystery, as it's been broken up from it's original size, the pieces sold off, and a variety of estate owners purchased plots of what was originally Chateau Clerc Milon. during the entire 20th century, it's not clear exactly what land pieces were originally Clerc Milon lands and which weren't.

Currently, the Chateau Clerc Milon label is owned by the Rothschilds, and they have been able to regain some of the greatness which was once the Clerc Milon label. The mysterious allure of the winery however still remains.

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Wood Wine Crate & Box Profiles: Louis Jadot

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Sub-region: Beaune

Classification: Grand Cru

Production: Varied based on the single vineyard

Grape: Pinot Noir for Reds

Crate design: The Louis Jadot logo is a very high detail picture. The design is of the ancient Greek "Head of Bacchus", and has become one of the most recognizable aspects of the Louis Jadot label.

Rarity: Uncommon. The Louis Jadot label is comprised of over 100 single vineyards on the same property, and most of these single vineyards have a small prodution. Since the Louis Jadot label is so attractive, most wine collectors who acquire a case of the wine with the crate usually keep the whole package.

Crate designation: Exclusive Class ($50.00)

Our opinion: Louis Jadot was my first personal favorite. I keep a small collection, and have all the Louis Jadot crates from every single vineyard that produces them. The wines are excellent as well!

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What are Wine Crate Inserts?

We're often asked by first time clients: What are inserts?

Inserts cradle the bottles inside the box or crate. They come in either wood or cardboard. The wooden inserts slide into the inside of the crate. Below is a picture of wooden inserts for a wine crate:

6 bottle crate wooden inserts

The above picture is the inside of a 6 bottle crate with two inserts. The top and bottom inserts slide into the crate because the crate has routed grooves as shoown above. The 4 routed grooves allow the inserts to slide in and out.

When adding 6 bottles to the above crate, you would remove both inserts and place three bottles at the base/bottom of the crate. You would then place the inserts over the three bottles, and then place the remaining three bottles on top of the inserts. All will fir perfectly, and wont move in transit.

Cardboard inserts are a little different, and they're generally used for crates without these routed grooves. The cardboard inserts are crafted in the shape of a wine bottle. Below is a picture of two 6 bottle wine crates with cardboard inserts:

Two 6 bottle crates with cardboard inserts:

Cardboard inserts are both stackable and removable. Each crate above has two sets of the inserts. Not one. There is a top insert and a bottom insert. They are stacked together.

When adding 6 bottles to each of these crates, you would remove the top inserts and place three bottles into each of the bottom inserts. Cardboard inserts are in the shape of bottles so they will all fit snugly.

Once the three bottles are in each crate, you would place the top insert above the bottles and add the remaining bottles to the top insert. The top inserts keep the bottles from touching each other. The inserts act as "pillows" inside the crate.

There are also 12 bottle crates that have cardboard inserts as well:

As you may see, there are two different sizes on the cardboard inserts. This is because the left hand crate is from Bordeaux, and the right hand crate is from Burgundy. The wineries in Bordeaux and in Burgundy often make differently sized bottles.

Below is a picture of a crate with wooden inserts that have been individually wrapped (left), one with cardboard inserts (middle), and one with no inserts (right)

The inside of three 12 bottle crates 

The final picture is a flat crate with the inserts inside the crate:

Winter 6 bottle flat crate

This is a flat crate that stores the bottles across from left to right. They aren't stacked like the other ones above.

The inserts in the Winter crate are in 4 different pieces: The top 2 inserts (where the lid is) are both removable as is the bottom 2 inserts (just above the winer logo) and they're both removable as well. There are a total of 4 pieces here, not two. It looks like the inserts are each one piece but they're not.

How you'd add the bottles: Remove the top parts of both inserts and place the bottles on the bottom insert. You would then put the top inserts back above the bottles to secure them in place.

Now the bottles are fully protected in the crate and won't move in transit. Close the lid and they're good to go!





Wood Wine Crate & Box Profiles: Chateau Mouton Rothschild

Chateau Mouton Rothschild:

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux

Sub-region: Pauillac

Classification: First Growth

Production: 15,000 - 18,000 cases per year

Grape: Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with a mix of Merlot and Petit Verdot

Crate design: The Mouton Rothschild label has remained the same for nearly 100 years, but every year the same design is changed slightly by a famous artist. The design is a highly detailed and world reknowned cote of arms.

Rarity: Very rare. Approx. 17,000 cases of Mouton Rothschild are produced per vintage. Almost half of those cases remain in France. The remaining 7 - 8 thousand are shipped to every other country. Many of the cases that reach the US have already been purchased in future or at auction.

Crate designation: Exclusive Class First Growth ($100.00)

Our opinion: One of my personal favorites. I love how the Mouton Rothschild label changes every year. It really adds alot of character to their crates.

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Wood Wine Crate & Box Profiles: Domaine Romanee Conti

Domaine Romanee Conti:

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Sub-region: Cote D'or

Classification: Arguably the best winery in the world

Production: 6 single vineyards producing a total of approx. 8,000 cases a year.

Grape: Over 95% pure Pinot Noir in 5 of the 6 single vineyards. Montrachet produces Chardonnay

Crate design: Domaine Romanee Conti (DRC) has one of the most recognized labels among wine enthusiasts, collectors and investors. The crate's picture has a picture of the very old chateau, vineyard and cross.

Rarity: Extremely rare. Domaine Romanee Conti is one of the most expensive wines in the world with a tiny production. Investors generally purchase DRC futures way in advance of release. It is considered a "blue chip" investment in wine.

Crate designation: Exclusive Class ($150.00)

Our opinion: We generally have 1-2 DRC crates in stock at any time. Out of approx. 10,000 crates we acquire, 1-2 of these crates are from Domaine Romanee. Domaine Romanee Conti crates are usually branded on all four sides, but the major artwork is only on the front side. The single vineyard is displayed on the majority of DRC crates. Below is a list of the single vineyards of Domaine Romanee Conti:

Echezeaux

Grand Echezeaux

La Tache

Richebourg

Romanee St. Vivant

Montrachet

and

Assorted - Assorted is not a single vineyard, but the Domaine Romanee Conti vineyard produces several cases with 2 bottles of each single vineyard wine in a crate. They are one of the few wineries that does this.

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The 7 Types of Wooden Wine Panels

Wine panels are the engraved sides of a wooden wine crate or box. The majority of wine panels have unique designs and logos from the winery that made them.

There are 6 types of wine panels broken up into four catagories:


Classic Panels:

1. Chateau and Estate:

This panel type comes from the long side of some 12 bottle wine crates Bordeaux crates. Most Bordeaux 12 bottle crates are 19 1/2" L X 13" W X 7" H. The Chateau & Estate panels come from the 19 1/2" side. The average dimensions of Chateau & Estate panels is 19" L X 6 1/2" H. The average thickness of Chateau and Estate panels is 1/4" - 3/8".

Chateau and Estate panels are engraved with just winery lettering. They have no designs or artwork. They generally compliment a nice French Provincial style design, or can be filled in with other types of panels to cover a space.

Several different Chateau and Estate panels

2. Winery Branded:

Winery Branded panels are similar to Chateau & Estate, but they are from the 13" side not the 19 1/2" side. They are nearly half the size of Chateau & Estate, and also have just engraved winery lettering with no artwork. The average dimensions of winery branded panels is 12" L X 6 1/2" H. The average thickness is 3/8".

Assorted winery branded panels

3. Border Panels: 

The border panels are from 3 or 6 bottle flat crates, so their dimensions can vary quite a bit. These types of panels are excellent as a trim around the tops and bottoms of a wall because they are long and thin. Dimensions can be anywhere between 10" L X 4" H and 19" L X 6" H. Thicknesses range from 1/4" - 3/4" depending on the winery. The size difference in dimensions is because the shorter sides of a flat crate are smaller than the longer ones. A perfect example is below:

Chatea Pape Clement flat 6 bottle crate

As you can see, the Bernard Magrez side is twice as long as the Pape Clement side. What we do is prepare the crate to a smooth texture, dismantle the piece, and both of these sides become border panels similar to the picture below:

Border panels from Portugal, Italy, Burgundy and California

4. Collector's Panels:

This panel type is our best seller. The majority of Collector's panels come from the from the front (13" side) of a Bordeaux, Italian, Spanish, Portugal or California wine crate. They have beautiful designs and artwork, and each one is unique. The average size of a Collector's panel is: 12" L X 6 1/2" H. The average thickness of Bordeaux panels is 3/8"

A variety of Collector's panels from Bordeaux

5. Large Collector's Panels:

This is a rare type of panel. Most wine crates are only branded on the front short side. Large Collector's panels have the artwork on the long (19" side). The engraved branding on these is much larger than the regular Collector's panels because they are almost twice as long. The average dimensions of a Large Collector's panel is 19" X 6 1/2" H with an average of 3/8" thickness. Some may be larger or slightly smaller.

There are crates such as a 6 bottle magnum or 24 1/2 bottle crates, where the Large Collector's panel is considerably larger or taller in some cases.

Assortment of Large Collector's panels from Bordeaux, Rhone and Burgundy, France

6. First Growth Panels:

The five First Growth's of Bordeaux are: Chateau Margaux, Chateau Latour, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Haut-Brion. These are extremely rare wines, and the panels are highly sought after.

7. Exclusive Class

The Exclusive Class are the most rare and highly detailed wine panels in the world. The crown jewel of Exclusive Class is a Domaine Romanee Conti (DRC), which is the most expensive and arguably the best wine in the world. DRC is from Burgundy, so each of the DRC wines come from single vineyards. The vast majority of DRC wines from any single vineyard are sold on the futures market well before they go to retail. This is one reason that the panel is so difficult to acquire. The private investor almost always retains the original crate with their purchase. A picture of a DRC crate is below (DRC crate not panel. The panel is displayed in front):

1988 DRC Richebourg 12 bottle wine crate

Other examples of rare Exclusive Class panels are (These pictures are of the crates not the panel. These crates are from our reserve collection, and they will not be dismantled unless purchased and requested):

Screaming Eagle

Very rare Silver Oak double magnum

Nickel and Nickel 6 bottle crate

Harlan Estate "The Maiden" 3 bottle crate

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The 7 Most Popular Wine Crate Sizes List

The advent of wine crates began mankind's attempt at mass advertising, and they are the first product packaging method made for the consumer. Thousands of years later they are still crafted for this purpose.

There are 7 main sizes for wine crates. The list is from most popular to most rare:

12 bottle wine crates:

Most commonly made by: Bordeaux wineries

Average dimensions: 19 1/2" L X 13" W X 7" H

Additional details: 12 bottle crates are made to hold (12) 750 ML wine bottles. They are mostly branded on the front sides (the 13" W part). Many of the logo designs of Bordeaux crates are timeless and highly artistic. Below is the front branded side of a 12 bottle wine crate:

Below is the inside of a 12 bottle wine crate. The dividers inside the crate are called inserts and they are designed to keep the bottles inside the crate secure. Inserts are made with either wood or cardboard. The inserts in the below picture are cardboard:

6 bottle wine crates:

Most commonly made by: Italian, Spanish and Californian wineries

Average dimensions: 13" L X 11" W X 7" H - These sizes often vary

Additional details: 6 bottle crates are made to hold (6) 750 ML wine bottles. They are mostly branded on both the front and back sides (the 13" L parts). Italian wineries tend to have a more "old world look" whereas Californian and Spanish crates tend to be more moden looking. Below are three 6 bottle crates for your review:

ZD Wines 6 bottle crate from Napa Valley, California

Sassicaia 6 bottle crate from Tuscany, Italy

Numanthia El Toro 6 bottle crate from Spain

Single bottle crates:


Most commonly made by: Italian wineries

Average dimensions: Varied based on bottle size

Additional details: There are a variety of different single bottle crates. The most common are:

Single (750 ML): 13" L X 4" W X 4" H

Magnum (1500 ML): 15" L X 5" W X 5" H

Double magnum (3000 ML): 19 1/2" L X 6" W X 6" H

Imperial (6000 ML): 21 1/2" L X 7" W X 7" H - *These are the gigantic bottles you may see in the window of a fine wine store.

These types of crates come in a variety of styles such as slide-top and flip-top lids. They are usually branded on multiple sides, and their sizes often vary based on the winery. Below are a few pictures of single bottle crates:

Magnum crates:

Double magnum (Very rare Screaming Eagle):

Imperial (Very rare Chateau Petrus):

6 bottle flat crates:

Most commonly made by: Italian and Californian wineries

Average dimensions: 20" L X 13" W X 4" H


Additional details: Flat crates are generally made to hold 6 bottles across the crate, not three on top of three like regular 6 bottle crates. Flat crates are almost twice the size length-wise of regular 6 bottle crates, but they are about half as tall.

Most flat crates are often engraved on multiple sides, with very high detail designs on the lid.

Opus One flat 6 bottle crate:

Winter 6 bottle flat crate:

3 bottle crates:


Most commonly made by: Californian wineries

Average dimensions: 14" L X 4" W X 4" H

Additional details: 3 bottle crates are generally made to be gift box/artwork/wine crates wrapped into one. One of my favorite 3 bottle crate is the Hundred Acre by Kayli Morgan:

Hundred Acre 3 bottle crate

Colgin 3 bottle crate:

The Hundred Acre is very thick and heavy. It has dovetailed corners and is engraved on all four sides, as well as on both sides of the lid. The top of the inserts are engraved as well!

The Colgin is engraved on all four sides and both sides of the lid as well.

6 bottle magnum crate:

Most commonly made by: Bordeaux wineries

Average dimensions: 15" L X 14" W X 9" H

Additional details: 6 bottle magnums are in the shape of a square. They are crafted to hold (6) magnum sized bottles. They are usually engraved on one side, but the engraving is especially large in comparison to a regular 12 bottle crate. Most wineries only make a few hundred of these at best per vintage year so they are quite rare.

Chateau La Fleur 6 bottle magnum crate:

Rol Valentin and Chateau Monbousquet 6 bottle magnum crates; one on top of the other:

24 1/2 bottle crates:

Most commonly made by: Bordeaux wineries


Average dimensions: 22" L X 10 1/2" W X 9" H


Additional details: This is the rarest crate type because most wineries don't produce 1/2 bottles every year. When they do it's for only a few dozen cases.

 Half bottles are named as such because they are 375 ML. This is "half" the size of a regular 750 ML bottle which is the most common. This crate type holds a total of 24 half bottles.

24 1/2 bottle crates are very long and tall, but are thinner than any other type of crate because the bottles are shorter. Also, their wooden inserts come in sets of 8 so they are a little more difficult to manage. 24 1/2 bottle logo designs are however very large so this makes up for it a bit.

Chateau D'escurac and Chateau Senejac 24 1/2 bottle crates; one on top of the other 

What do you think? Any questions? Please let me know

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Bordeaux vs. Burgundy

Burgundy

Burgundian wineries are slightly different than wineries in Bordeaux as they grow their wines in single vineyards. Single vineyards are individual parcels of land inside of the winery's property. Each parcel produces a different type of wine that may contain different grapes, varietals or mixtures than the others, but will still carry the name of the winery on it's label.

Speaking of labels, it's very common for wine crates from Burgundy to brand their logo on the long side of the crate instead of the short side. In some cases, all four sides of Burgundy crates are branded. Most Burgundy crates are also slightly larger than Bordeaux crates. The average size of a Burgundy crate is: 20 1/2" L X 13" W X 7" H, which is approx. 1" longer than a Bordeaux crate. Below is a picture of a Domaine Bouchard Pere & Fils crate. Definitely one of my favorites..

Going back to single vineyards, A perfect example of this winemaking method is Domaine Romanee Conti or DRC for short.

DRC is widely considered the best of Burgundy, and produces some of the most expensive wines in the world. In less than 50 acres, DRC holds 6 major single vineyards:

• Richebourg
• Grand Echezeaux
• Romanee St. Vivant
• Echezeaux
• Montrachet
• La Tache

The specialty of DRC is Pinot Noir.

Wine crates and boxes from DRC are incredibly rare, because the vast majority of collectors hold onto them if they're lucky enough to acquire a full case. DRC as a wine investment tends to be a good bet. The full collection of a DRC wine case with the original crate increases the yield of the investment down the road.

The design of a DRC crate is beautiful and distinctive. Below is a picture of one:

Burgundy as a region is complex and very old. It is said that Burgundy is the final destination of the true wine enthusiast. Even though I personally prefer Burgundy wines from all others, I still think there are a great many Bordeaux wineries that produce spectacular wines.

Before we get into Bordeaux, below are a few points on how to distinguish a wine bottle or crate from Burgundy or Bordeaux:

• Domaine refers to Burgundy whereas Chateau refers generally to Bordeaux
• Burgundy crates/bottles will show the winery and the single vineyard. Bordeaux crates/bottles will show the winery and sub-region such as St. Emilion, Medoc etc.
• Your much more likely to see a Bordeaux crate than a Burgundy. Crates from Burgundy are fairly uncommon.
• Burgundy focuses much more on wines that should be "put down" to drink in many years down the road. Many Bordeaux wineries craft wines to be put down as well, but Burgundy is much more known for this. 

Bordeaux

Bordeaux generally produces the same wine from one vineyard. A unique aspect of Bordeaux is that many produce Second Labels which are the "run-off juices" of the First Label. This means that the Second Label will most likely have the same grapes, mixture etc. of the first, but it will be the second best juice. Some examples of famous Second Labels are: La Dame Montrose (First Label: Chateau Montrose), La Mission Haut-Brion (First Label: Haut-Brion) and Pavillon Rouge Margaux (First Label: Chateau Margaux).

Bordeaux as a region is broken down into sub-regions. If Bordeaux is a state, than the sub-regions could be considered it's cities. The major wine making sub-regions of Bordeaux are:

Left Bank:

• St. Emilion
• St. Estephe
• Pauillac
• St. Julien
• Margaux
• Medoc

*Left bank wine crate & Second Label:

Right Bank:

• Pomerol
• St. Emilion
• Cotes De Bourg

*Right bank wine crate:

Graves:

• Pessac Leognan
• Sauternes

*Graves wine crate: The king of Sauternes:

There are others, but for simplicity I went with the ones that produce wine crates for their wines.

There is much more wine production in Bordeaux than there is in Burgundy. This is why you'll see more crates from Bordeaux. Most wine enthusiasts tend to purchase Bordeaux over Burgundy for a few reasons:

• Bordeaux is fairly simple wheras Burgundy can be quite complex
• Burgundy mostly produces wines for the future. Many Bordeaux's can be consumed immediately.
• Burgundy wines tend to be much less available and alot more expensive
• Bordeaux is much more publicized than Burgundy.

From a wine crate perspective one has to take a look at the facts:

Burgundy Pros:

• More rare than Bordeaux
• Mostly have long side brandings with larger designs than Bordeaux
• Generally have very unique and high detail designs on multiple sides
• Slightly larger than Bordeaux crates

Burgundy Cons:

• More rare means less available and more expensive
• Not as generally recognizable than wineries from Bordeaux
• Much smaller selection
• Burgundy crates can vary a bit from winery to winery, so not all Burgundy bottles can fit in a Burgundy crate.

Bordeaux Pros:

• Most Bordeaux crates are identical in size making them easy to work with
• There is a much large selection of unique Bordeaux wine crates than Burgundy
• More affordable because there are more available
• The vast majority of Bordeaux bottles can fit in any Bordeaux crate

Bordeaux Cons:

• Bordeaux crates typically only have one branding on the short front side
• Although every wine crate is unique, Wine crates from Bordeaux are not as rare as Burgundy. You may find that your friend has a wine crate from the same Bordeaux winery you do.

Who wins? At the end of the day it's a matter of preference. Personally I am extremely fond of Burgundy all-around. However, Ill be hard pressed to turn down a finely crafted Bordeaux wine at any time of year.

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Patrick -

 

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