Miniature Wine at a Miniature Price

Just when I think I’ve experienced all the wonders wine has to offer, it continues to astound and excite me. Enter: Copa Wine. I was at my local grocery store, grabbing some cheap-ish white wine to use in a recipe (actually, in the Sage Butter Chowder I shared recently) when I noticed a very intriguing new display in the booze section:

Copa Di Vino, or wine by the glass, is the brilliantly simple idea of bottling premium wine directly into a glass. Wine lovers can now drink delicious, quality wine from an attractive, eco-friendly, single-serving container. Just peel back the lid and enjoy!

I was a bit suspicious of these claims at first. Even though the display board proudly screamed that it “Tastes Great!” how good can a mini-bottle (or… cup?) of wine be if it only costs $2.99? Especially if it boasts a peel-back aluminum lid? “Really, though,” I thought, “who am I to judge?” And with that, I tossed a Copa Cabernet Sauvignon into my cart, determined to get to the bottom of this new and exhilarating product.

We all know I’m a fan of portable and novelty booze, so my contrasting hopes and suspicions were raging a battle in my heart and liver. I peeled back the lid, took a sip straight from the plastic cup, and I have some good news to report: I wouldn’t say nope-a to this Copa! (Sorry, sorry, sorry for that one.) I don’t think this vino is going to win any medals, but at the same time, at just $3 a pop, I’m not really making any serious complaints.

I put the Copa up to the ol “Best Friend and Boyfriend Challenge”—Rob said he was “not a fan; it tastes like vinegar,” but then again, it took awhile to convert him to boxed wine acceptance too, so maybe it’s only a matter of time. On the other hand, my friend/roomie, Dayna, took one sip and when I asked her what she thought, she just said, “I’ll have some more!” and took another swig. High marks for Copa.

Basically, you’re not going to be impressing anyone at a fancy dinner party with this stuff, but for a picnic it would be a great option. Also, think of the possibilities for cooking… whenever you have a recipe that asks for a cup of dry white wine, you can just pick up one Copa instead of a whole bottle of cheap wine you need to use up! Reason enough for me to give this product the ES stamp of approval.