Spring is here and summer is near. It is time to grab your friends and family and get outside! Wine lovers do not fear, there are a few great options to bring your wine along with you to enjoy some outdoor fun.

What sort of outdoor activities do you enjoy in the spring and summer? One of my fondest memories of my kids youth was watching them play spring and summer sports. Baseball, soccer, and lacrosse were big in my house for outdoor youth sports. We also enjoy attending outdoor music festivals in the spring and summer. Dallas has a beautiful Arboretum that hosts weeknight cover band concerts on the lawn in the evenings. People from all over the metroplex pack their coolers and blankets to meet their friends for the outdoor concert series. Of course spring and summer is also boat, pool, beach season. And if you enjoy some more physical outdoor adventure, now is the perfect time for hiking, biking, and camping. Finally, as the mercury climbs it is also an ideal time to gather your friends and family for outdoor parties, barbecues, and cookouts.

To help wine maintain its prominent role throughout your spring and summer outdoor enjoyment I have a couple of great solutions for you.

To quench your individual thirst without hassle of large glass bottles and corkscrews, Rubin Family of Wines and Black Box wines have the perfect solution for individual wine on the go! Rubin Family of Wines offers 187 ml cans of oaked and un-oaked Chardonnay, as well as their red blend for portable wine fun. The cans are designed to carry wine using the highest of standards in the wine canning process. They have a special internal coating seal for high-quality wines which insures integrity and a shelf-life of at least twelve months, they’re air-tight, preventing oxidation of any sort, and the cans are light-proof, preventing oxidation. Furthermore, they are recyclable, efficient, and wine in 187 ml cans produces fewer transport related CO2 emissions than other packaging formats. Black Box offers a 500 ml carry and serve option that contains 3-5oz servings for yourself or to share. Like the Rubin cans, Black Box mini size wines are fully recyclable.

If you need to serve a bigger crowd Black Box can meet your needs. Their 3 liter box contains 4 bottles of wine, will keep the wine fresh without refrigeration for 6 weeks after opening, is wallet friendly, and takes away any worry of spoilage, broken bottles, or the need for a corkscrew. Furthermore, Black Box wines are 100% recyclable, yield 85% less packaging waste, and require less energy to produce and transport than bottle wines, allowing for a 50% carbon footprint reduction to bottled wines.

Black Box wines are easy to open, with directions are on the bottom of each box. However, it is pretty intuitive, I must confess I opened both boxes without reading the directions. They require no refrigeration to keep the wine fresh after opening; however, you will want to chill the white and rose to serve the wine at proper temperature for maximum enjoyment. Black Box wines are meant to be purchased and enjoyed; they are not intended to be aged.

All of the great facts for portable spring/summer wine fun sounds great. But how do these wines taste?

2015 Black Box Chardonnay 500 ml ($4.79/each): Crafted of 83% Chardonnay, 11% Riesling, and 6% “mixed white” with grapes sourced in California’s Monterey County; this is a California Chardonnay lovers wine, ripe orchard and tropical fruit intermingle with crème brulee and brioche, and a racy citrus zest; balanced medium+ acidity in the medium body wine perfect for summer salads, chicken, pasta, seafood, and shellfish.

2015 Black Box Rosé 3L ($16.99): “Built around” Syrah grapes from California using the saignée method; fresh and bright aromas of watermelon, strawberries, melons, and white stone fruit; crisp and zesty on the palate with racy acidity in a light bodied wine that is very refreshing; perfect for hot dogs, burgers, BBQ, or any of your favorite summer cook out foods.

2015 Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon Valle Central Chile 3L ($15.99) : Crafted of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Carmenere, 7% Syrah, and 9% other dry red wine sourced from Chile’s Central Valley; this full body red wine displays all the characteristics of a big red blend, with black cherries, blackberries, plums, currants, sweet spice, tobacco, and leather; balanced acidity and tannins coat the palate in an easy drinking, crowd pleasing wine perfect for summer cookouts with steak or any kind of red meat.

Pam’s Cuties Un-oaked Chardonnay Can ($3.99/each): These wines are designed for winelovers who want to have fun. The Chardonnay inside has notes of ripe apples and pears with a hint of citrus and a kiss of sweetness. On the palate it is crisp and refreshing.

We are California Chardonnay Can ($2.99/each): Another fun stainless steel Chardonnay sourced from California grapes and crafted in the Rubin family’s Sonoma County vineyard; bright and refreshing with notes of orchard fruit, tropical fruit, and loads of citrus zest; refreshing and crisp, perfect for spring and summer enjoyment.

We are California Red Blend Can ($2.99/each): A blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Merlot sourced from California grapes and crafted in the Rubin family’s Sonoma County vineyard; this lean stainless steel fermented wine offers black cherries, plums, black berries, with tobacco, violets, and sweet baking spice, medium body with balanced acidity and tannins in an easy to drink, pleasing wine.

Pam’s Cuties Un-oaked Chardonnay can be ordered direct from Rubin Family of Wines by clicking here. The rest of the wines are distributed through Total Wines and More, or can be located online or at your favorite local wine retailer. Don’t forget you can buy Pam’s Cuties and We are California cans as singles or in a 12-pack for more enjoyment.

These fun wines are all crowd-pleasers and will certainly liven up whatever your spring and summer has in store. Of course, they are also great for fall and winter too.