Podere Cellario Quantobasta Rosso 3L 2024

Boxed wine has come a long way since 1964, when South African winemaker Thomas Angove adapted the bag-in-box system originally for battery acid… for wine. In the decades that followed, boxed wine became a party staple, but it also earned a reputation that has been hard to shake: cardboard box, cardboard-quality wine.

The Cellario family challenges that idea…and they succeed.

Fausto and Cinzia Cellario are third-generation winemakers in the Langhe hills of Piedmont, farming their vineyards organically and making their wines naturally, with indigenous yeasts, minimal intervention and just a tiny amount of sulfur added when the wines are bagged.

And then there’s the name. “Quanto basta” is an Italian expression meaning “as much as needed” or “just enough.” You’ll even see it abbreviated q.b. in Italian recipes when an ingredient doesn’t require an exact measurement. Add enough salt. Add enough olive oil. Add just what you need.

QuantoBasta Rosso is 100% Barbera from the Cellarios’ own vineyards. Fermented and aged in tank rather than oak, it’s all about fresh, juicy fruit and the naturally bright acidity that makes Barbera so wonderfully drinkable. This is uncomplicated in the best possible way: lively, delicious red wine meant for pouring generously. Give it a slight chill and put it next to burgers, sausages, pizza or whatever is coming off the grill.