Bubbles from the Great Lake State

I have been reading and hearing a lot lately about Michigan sparkling wines. I am always willing to try wines from different regions of the world, but I was even more curious because I'm a Midwesterner and I love Sufjan Stevens' album "Greetings from Michigan". My best friends Sarah and Jon also just moved to Michigan. This past Sunday Richie and Megan brought over a bottle of L. Mawby Talisman sparkling wine. It had an interesting bottle label, not garish but not too simple. We decided to start off the meal with it, I loooove starting off with bubbles! Upon first sniff I was shocked to detect aromas that I would normally pick up in top quality Champagne. The nose was giving off biscuit, orange peel, pie crust and lemon curd, along with wet stone and chalk. The palate was full of creamy texture and balanced acidity. The lemon curd had carried through along with the orange peel and a hint of spice. To me, it's absolutely thrilling to see that there are passionate winemakers crafting beautiful juice all over this country. Seek them out!

Lyrical Cuisine

There is not many things more satisfying than putting on a great CD (or hooking up the Ipod to the stereo) and conjuring up a great meal. Music can set the town for that meal, guiding the flavor intensity and choice of herbs or spices. A great song and intoxicating aromas can draw people to the kitchen. Many will offer assistance if the right combination of scents, wine and lyrical inspiration occur. I put on different music for different meals.

For all purpose culinary music I enjoy:

Ibrahim Ferrer "Buenos Hermanos"
PJ Harvey "Stories from the City, Stories from The Sea"
Rufus Wainwright "Poses" and "Want 1"
Imperial Teen "On"
Miles Davis "Kind of Blue"
Radiohead "The Bends"

This is a small list in a sea of music that I love to play when preparing dinner. The music makes everything flow so beautifully. It puts me in a glowing mood. The produce looks fresher, the fish looks just killed, the meat looks more glorious. A perfect combination of all these components can make for an ethereal experience. A great bottle of red wine, such as Peregrine 2001 Central Otago Pinot Noir, always helps too.

Parental Units

The Ps came to visit this weekend and, like always, it was fueled by great food and wine. On Sunday I prepared a steamer pot of clams and red snapper.

I first diced and sauteed half a large onion and five garlic cloves in olive oil in my sturdy dutch oven (thanks, mom!) After they were nicely colored I tossed in 30 rinsed and cleaned littleneck clams and put the lid on to allow them to steam. Once the clams were slightly open I added about 3/4 a bottle of Vega Sindoa Viura/Chardonnay from Spain, gave them a good stir and popped the lid back on. Once the wine had reduced a bit and the clams were half open I added the snapper filets, some sea salt and about 10 grinds of fresh pepper and popped the lid back on. After one side of the snapper had turned a bit white I flipped the filets over and added about a tablespoon and a half of butter, and returned the lid. 5 minutes later I added a small amount of fresh chopped tarragon and fresh red bell pepper (from Bluebird farmstand at the Farmer's Market) everything was done and ready to eat. On the side we had some nice grilled bread (from Simone the doughgirl at the Farmer's Market) for sopping up the buttery, garlicky, olive oilly, winey broth. Yuuuummmm.

We served 2 bottles with this steamer pot. The first was Epiphany Cellars 2005 Grenache Rose from Santa Barbara (only one case came into Memphis so don't even bother looking for it), and the second was Vina Rey 2003 Tempranillo Crianza. The rose exhibited deep red berry fruit, a nice hit of tannin and lovely complex spice character. The Vina Rey was lush and dark with earthy notes, silky texture, spicy flavors and a lovely finish. Seek it out now!

The Gravitational Pull of Spain

To ease the pain of my yearning for Spain, I wallowed in a delicious dinner of Spanish cuisine.

First, I prepared a lovely salad of spicy arugula (from the Memphis Farmer's Market, wow), young manchego cheese, shallot, Las Brisas Unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil, heirloom tomato, sherry vinegar and Maldon Sea Salt. The best sea salt EVER!!!



We paired the salad with Ventana Riesling from Arroyo Seco Monterey. The bright acidity and off-dry nature was a perfect counterbalance with the sweet acid in the Sherry vinegar. The Riesling also cut through the richness of the cheese and stood up to the spice in the arugula.

The star dish of the night was my grandmother's recipe (Thank you Ta!) Paella. I tweaked it a bit because I can't just leave well enough alone. The Paella was filled with brown arborio rice, fresh clams, spanish chorizo, fresh shrimp, saffron, red pepper, garlic, tomato, onion, wine and edamame (sorry ta, I didn't know I had sweet peas in the freezer).



The paella was perfect with a 2003 Bacio Divino Pazzo (thanks Richie and Megan!), a blend of Sangiovese, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon. It's rich earthiness and bright fruit flowed perfectly into the heady earthiness of the saffron. It was a bit much for the clams but I still had a bit of the Riesling left to drink with that. The chorizo's spicy garlicy deliciousness made the fruit in the wine explode! Incredible.

This meal was a nice salve for my open wounds. A good meal can always make me feel better, and transport back to where I want to be.

Fuedi Di San Gregorio

The Blue Fish Restaurant, located at 2149 Young Avenue 901.725.0230, will be hosting Robert Shea of Fuedi di San Gregorio winery in Italy from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Wednesday July 26. Mr. Shea is the National Sales Director for this highly acclaimed Italian winery. The Blue Fish will be serving their regular menu for dinner and featuring these wines by the bottle and by the glass. Fuedi di San Gregorio is well known for its vineyard tactics such as high density planting and strict pruning.

I've had the opportunity to taste the Fiano, Falanghina and Aglianico and all were fabulous. The Fiano exhibits a woodsy earthy character that hits the top of your palate. The Falanghina is a crisp bright wine that follows through with good body and mouthfeel. The Aglianico is an old world wonder, big juicy red with dark red fruits and a hint of soil. The whole line is worth a try, I highly suggest making reservations for this. Call 901.725.0230 for reservations, and visit www.thebluefishmemphis.com for further information on the menu.

Here is what James Suckling of Wine Spectator had to say about the Taurasi Riserva 2001:


Daily Wine Picks
July 19, 2006

FEUDI DI SAN GREGORIO Taurasi Piano di Montevergine Riserva2001 (90 points)

Ripe currant, with violets, lots of oak and a hint of charred meat. Full-bodied, with firm, velvety tannins and a long, oaky finish. Silky and fine. Best after 2007. 1,600 cases made.

--James Suckling

Arugula! For the first time.

I went to the Farmer's Market at Central Station downtown this past Saturday to find some inspiration for Sunday's Spanish dinner. I came upon an organic stand. The guy behind the stand said to me "hey, weren't you here a few weeks ago looking for arugula?" I couldn't believe he remembered me! He gave me a taste of the arugula that he said was harvested at 4am that morning. Wow! It's as if I never had arugula ever in my life! This little green was so spicy and pungent, it was amazing! I purchased a clamshell of the greens, and thanked him for remembering me. Last night I made a salad with the spicy arugula, heirloom tomatoes, shallots, manchego cheese, sherry vinegar, olive oil, and finished with some Maldon sea salt (Kelly's fave). It paired wonderfully with a Ventana single vineyard Riesling from Monterey.

Entranced

Tuesday night Kelly and I met up at Napa Cafe to have some wine. I scanned the list and almost fell out of my chair when I saw they had Chateau Musar 1988....FOR $35!!!! I couldn't believe it. We ordered a bottle and asked them to decant it (which they were very happy to do).

It was transfixing. When I tasted the wine I tasted the vineyard. I tasted the soil the vines grew out of, the air that caressed the grapes, and the sunlight that warmed them. The wine nearly brought tears to my eyes. So rarely do I have the pleasure of enjoying a mature and affordable wine at a restaurant. We so often are subjected to current release wines that may or may not be ready to drink. This was truly special, a gift.

That wine is the perfect example of an establishment that truly cares. Go now to Napa Cafe, have a bottle of Musar (or another one from their INCREDIBLE selection), some great food, and support one of the few restaurants in town that is as passionate about wine as they are about customer service. Independent restaurants always seem to get it right. The chains could care less if you're even there, but the Mom and Pops welcome you.

By the way, Lulu Grille (also in East Memphis) is changing their wine list after many years. Stay tuned with details on that.

Reaching into the Cellar

Kari and Adrian invited Kelly and I over for dinner the other night so I decided to take some "looking at wine". What is "looking at wine"? Well, Kelly always gets mad at me because he'll come home and ask "do we have any wine to drink?" To which I'll reply "no". He then will proceed into the kitchen where he'll open the wine fridge and gaze at the 40 some odd bottles slumbering on their sides. "What is this then?" he'll ask, "looking at wine? We don't have any drinking wine?" Funny.

So anyway, I decided to reach into my collection and take something nice over. I decided upon a bottle of Panther Creek Winemaker's Cuvee 2000 Pinot Noir. Kari loves Pinot so I thought this might be a good choice.

We started with New Age White over ice with a twist of lime. This fabulous aperitif is a semi-sparkling white wine from Argentina. It is delicious and totally gets the palate ready for food.

Adrian plated up the food which was a Southwestern smoked chicken grilled with avocado, pico de gallo and mozzarella served with spiced rice. Fantastic! I popped open the Panther Creek. It was incredible!!! The Pinot had matured into a subtle, elegant, earthy, dried cherry, hints of tea, glass full of beauty. It's sad to think that I can't get anymore of it. The cuisine was lightly spiced so it didn't overpower the wine at all.

Thanks Kari and Adrian!!!

Constant

I've been thinking about Spain a lot lately. And that's saying something because I already think about that country at least once a day. Spanish wine, food, architecture, etc. Thoughts have been constantly with me. Memories of my beautiful summer in Barcelona are resurfacing at a feverish pace. But they are starting to become fuzzy. I need to return to plug back in to my heritage and culture. I need to walk the streets and alleys of Sevilla, drink the cheapest (and best tasting!) carafe of red wine in the tiny little tapas bars in Barcelona, gorge myself on the fresh baby octopus and chorizo piled on plates on the bartop at those tapas bars.......*sigh*.

That country is calling to me.

I want my mother to take me to the places she loved so much as a child. I want to take my father to places I fell in love with while I was there. I want to walk through my aunt's apartment again and gaze out the windows at the street below.

Sometimes when I taste something in a wine or a flavor in a dish, flashes of memories return to me. Sometimes it is the interior of a cathedral in Galicia or the courtyard in the back of Tia Raquel's apartment. Sometimes it's the smell of the dust rising up from the bullring, or the scent of the trees in the hills above Barcelona.

I'll get back there again. For now, I must satisfy that pulling feeling with good Spanish wine, paella and dreams.

Art out of Wine

The conceptual artist Anya Gallacio is elevating Zinfandel to art. Anya, whose previous installations include 10,000 rose petals arranged on a gallery floor and left to shrivel, is turning her sights on the sense of place. That place being Sonoma County, her palette consisting of different Zinfandel blocks from around the county. Her winemaking collaborator in this? The world renowned Zelma Long and Barbara Lindblom. Read about it in last Sunday's New York Times. If you don't get the Times you can read it online at nytimes.com. I've always felt that wine is art. No one can dissuade me from believing I can "feel, smell and taste" the artisanal soul that goes into a bottle of wine. Yes, I know that a lot of wine out there is industrial grade plonk, but from time to time I come across a wine that makes me see and feel all those things. And I cherish every moment.

Passion or Affliction?

I can't help it. I get excited, near frenzy, when drinking wine and discussing wine. It might seem as if I've lost myself in it, but I'd rather like to think that I've found myself. Nothing for me is more exciting than tasting wine and deciphering every single nuance and layer. A truly exceptional wine can be haunting. The flavors, aromas and textures adhering to every crevice of my body. When a wine takes hold of me it never lets go. I taste many wines on a regular basis, I'm not talking about those typical wines. Once in a while, a wine will come along and catch me off guard, slipping inside my tongue and my soul. Those are the wines I never forget.

Since relinquishing myself to my passion for wine, I never once have had a second thought about pursuing another career path. Quite frankly, I wouldn't be any good at (much less anywhere near as passionate about) doing anything else. So why do anything else?

Who Would've thought?

I am a HUGE fan of Coturri Winery in Sonoma. It's a divisive winery that you either fanatically love or can't stand. They make huge, powerful wines that are not for the faint of heart. These wines can handle a lot. Case in point . . .

Recently, Megan was sitting on my back porch munching on some Pop Rocks while Richie and I were sipping on some Coturri 2004 Merlot Maclise Vineyard. This massive Merlot spewed forth aromas of blackberry jam (and some crayon according to my friend Amy, good nose!). The alcohol was a little high (15.7%!) but didn't seem hot. We were raving about how over the top it was so Megan decided to see how it did up against Pop Rocks. Much to everyone's surprise, the wine held it's own! Which goes to show you that you'll never know when or where you might find a good pairing.

The Chi & Meay show

The dynamic duo brought their lovely selves over to our house Sunday evening for a little blind tasting action. Along with two bottles of wine they brought yummy blue cheese and feta cheese stuffed olives, Cabernet soaked cheddar, delicious crackers and some Danish blue. I grilled some red wine and blueberry glazed pork tenderloin. Off we go!

The first wine was white and REALLY threw me off. I smelled limestone and wet rock but thought it was a Sauvignon Blanc. Silly me. It, of course, turned out to be a Chablis, La Chablisienne Cuvee LC to be exact. Doh!

Up next was a dark and rich red wine with gorgeous dark and earthy fruit. I initially thought it was a grenache, then switched to a syrah. I should have listened to my gut. It was the 2004 Las Rocas Garnacha. For $10 a bottle everyone should by this by the case.

#3 had a ruby color and light body, but with tons of fruit. I guessed that it was a new world Italian varietal such as Barbera, Sangiovese or Dolcetto. It was revealed to be Scott Harvey Barbera from Amador County.

#4 was so dark that Megan couldn't even read through it. The intense nose just poured out of the glass, the body was medium to full and the finish lasted a good deal of time on the sides of the palate. This little lovely was revealed to be the 1999 Falcone Cabernet Sauvignon from the Garda DOC in Italy. Wonderful.

Take every opportunity to blind taste. It's humbling....but a lot of fun at the same time.

My Apologies

I have been out of pocket lately and I supremely apologize for the lack of posts. I have been packing my head and palate with wine knowledge in order to prepare for the Introductory Sommelier Course. I will be posting soon!


Just to let you know. I passed the Intro level, with flying colors!

Across State Lines

Sundays are my days to cook. This Sunday was no different. Kelly informed me that we had dinner plans with our friends Scott and Dana. Since they have a son who is nearly 2, we thought it would be more convenient for them if we had dinner at their house. We packed up the dogs (Otis and Hank), grabbed the food I prepared and set off for Mississippi.

I prepared a fresh crab salad with fresh ginger, garlic, red wine vinegar, fresh lychees and olive oil. I served that with crispy focaccia crostini to spread the salad on. I also prepared a salad of sweet snap pea pods, walnuts, goat's milk feta, shallots, strawberries and spinach with a light vinaigrette.

Both of these dishes paired wonderfully with a 2005 Robert Sinskey Vin Gris of Pinot Noir. This light pale rose has bright hints of strawberry which played well off the spinach salad. The white flower notes and light acidity complemented the crab salad very well.

Scott prepared beef carpaccio with parmesan and olive oil, an herbed cheese spread with crackers, and mini spiced burgers. All of these dishes worked incredibly well with the 2002 Coturri "Red Series" Sangiovese. This particularly wine is full bodied with an almost Amarone-like quality. Its fruit and tannin worked a perfect contrast to the beef.

My stomach is grumbling all over again.

For dessert I prepared fresh mango slices drizzled with a blue cheese sabayon. The mango was super ripe and sweet. Therefore, I felt it needed some salty richness to balance it out. I didn't add too much blue cheese to the sayabon, just enough to give it the kick it needed. It worked together perfectly, if I do say so myself, and wasn't difficult to make at all. This dish paired nicely with the season finale of The Sopranos. The sweet salty richness livened up the BORING episode. Sorry Kelly.

Sommelier?

I should be studying right now and not blogging, but I just can't help it. I'm set to take the Introductory Sommelier Course with the Court of Master Sommeliers next week and I'm not sure if I'm ready. Maybe I'll blind taste tonight or get some reading done at work today. I should. No matter how much knowledge I think I have, there will always be more to gain. That is the reason why I got into this in the first place. I'm constantly challenged and excited all at the same time. Cheers!

Hot Spain

In today's Dining Section of the New York Times there is an article about the Bierzo wine region of Spain. Here in Memphis Spanish wines are hot, hot, hot! People are wild about them for a number of different reasons.

1. They are absolutely delicious
2. Most of the wines are value priced
3. They offer something different

The article goes on to describe Bierzo as an out of the way region that has not sacrificed it's traditional grape, Mencia, for fashionable grapes, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Some of the mencia vines are 40-100 years old! That's old vine for you.

Unfortunately, Bierzo's presence in Memphis is fairly weak. I did see one bottle at Joe's on Poplar and would recommend starting there.

The Scotsman's Birthday

My friends and I will use any opportunity to cook. Paula and Doug came in town from Louisville to visit; and it just so happened to be Doug's birthday. So Kristi, Jeff and I decided to prepare a birthday meal for Doug. We got together to brainstorm over coffee. Halfway through our discussion, two men sitting near us told us to keep it down. We thought at first that they were being rude, but it turned out that we were just making them hungry. We had the menu planned and our courses assigned. Off we went.

At 5 on Sunday Phil, Jeff, Paula, Doug, Kristi and Warner arrived and the feast began. I asked that everyone bring rose wine. Rose, I felt, would best pair with the spicy flavors on this menu. I also prepared a fresh pitcher of mojitos to start off the dinner.

Jeff prepared some incredible mini tostadas with spiced refried black beans topped with a mango-jicama slaw and queso fresco, puff pastries stuffed with chorizo and manchego cheese, and chipotle cheddar mashed potatoes stuffed inside a grilled red pepper.

Kristi prepared crispy jalapeno peppers stuffed with cheddar, roasted root vegetables, grilled bbq shrimp, spiced brownies and cinnamon ice cream.

I cooked grilled corn salad with avocado and red pepper in a cumin-orange vinaigrette, and a spice crusted grilled london broil.

Accompanying this spice-laden meal were some lovely wines. Rose is a perfect partner to spice. The full fruit and refreshing quality of rose complements and contrasts spicy flavors in food. The Vision Cellars Rose was full bodied and packed with cherry and berry fruit with a crisp dry finish. The Remy Pannier Rose d'Anjou had light hints of watermelon with a slight off-dry quality. Toad Hollow Eye of The Toad Rose of Pinot Noir was light, refreshing, and full of bright fruit.

Anytime is a good time to prepare a wonderful meal, but food and wine always taste better when you surround yourself with loved ones. Happy Birthday Doug!

Blind

Last week Sabrina, Patrick, Hillary and I met at Sabrina's for a little blind tasting of Sauvignon Blanc. And yes, Sabrina, at first I was a little skeptical. I've always enjoyed Sauvignon Blanc and truly believe they have their place on the table when it comes to a multi-course meal. But I've never really looked at the grape with a critical eye. This was going to be fun.

We all brought a bottle of wine and gave it to Eric to tuck away from us all. He was the master pourer, the one who held the bottles and protected them from prying eyes. Hillary brought a delectable selection of goat's cheeses, Patrick brought a tasty herbed goat's cheese and Sabrina made shrimp and grits and a killer grilled tuna steak. I prepared a fresh salmon ceviche with dill, cilantro, habanero pepper, tangerine, mango, lime and avocado.

Wine #1 was a very pale pale yellow with a tint of light green. Very clear and bright with a clean fresh look about it. We all guessed it was 1-2 years old. On the nose I detected floral notes with a bit of fresh ginger and fresh fresh citrus. The first taste was like taking a bite out of a fresh granny smith apple. It had tart bright acidity with a hint of lime zest. The consensus was that it was New World, either 2004 or 5. I guessed it was around 12-12.5% alcohol. Eric pulled off the brown bag and revealed Mulderbosch 2005 from Stellenbosch South Africa.

Wine #2 also had a light pale green tinge to it, but was a bit darker than #1. The aroma was very herbaceous with a bit of nut and lemon rind. The palate revealed a very full mouthfeel but with quite a hot finish. I guessed maybe California, 1-2 years old. We all felt that the quality of this wine was considerably lower than #1, and that it was vastly more manipulated. It turned out to also be from South Africa. It was Kumala 2005.

Wine #3 had a bit of golden color and was less pale than 1 or 2; yet was still clear and fresh looking. The scent of grapefruit practically smacked me in the face. The grapefruit aroma gave way to hints of fresh cut asparagus with light fresh cut grass
and an herbaceous tone. The palate displayed sweet fruit with hints of pineapple and other tropical notes. The grapefruit characteristic led me to believe that it might have been from New Zealand. Maybe 2 years old. We all guessed that it was good quality. Eric pulled back the brown bag and revealed Cloudy Bay 2004.

Wine #4 displayed a pale almost light golden color. On the nose was a very floral aroma with a touch of ginger, some spicy characteristics and hint of lemongrass. The palate had a bit of minerality with limestone, lime zest and wet rock. It was not very mouthfilling, more razor sharp. I really fluctuated between guessing New World or Old World. The style really led me to believe it was Old World because of its elegance. I was wrong. This little wine was from St Supery, Napa Valley 2004.

All in all, this was very educational AND a lot of fun.

Further Tales of Tasting

On a beautiful recent Sunday evening our unnamed club of wine aficionados met to indulge our taste buds. Kelly was off work so he joined us as we plunged headlong into some very delicious bottles.

First up was a 2004 Rose of Pinot Noir from Luddite Vineyards. Kelly and I picked up this bottle at Crush Wine Company on our trip to Manhattan last October. Only 68 cases of this vintage was produced! The only two places to purchase this wine is at Crush and The French Laundry in Napa Valley. The owner/winemaker of Luddite is a passionate man who strongly believes in high quality hand-crafted wines. This rose exhibited a beautiful clear strawberry color with cherry sorbet or jam, red raspberry and white flower aromas. The bright fruit and balanced acidity on the palate was beautiful. I would pair this wine with full-bodied olive oil and lightly spiced grilled pork sausage.

Next we opened a 2001 Les Cousins Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley. Beaux Freres hand selected this wine as a personal cuvee for Robert Kacher. The vineyards that these grapes were sourced from hold some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines in Oregon. The nose displayed beautiful pinot fruit, spice and earth. At first taste, the acidity was too high and it almost seemed slightly bubbly. Leading Richie and Megan to think it might have undergone a secondary fermentation in the bottle, much like Champagne. After a few minutes it blew off and the wine settled down into a gorgeous almost Burgundian-style Pinot Noir. It had bright red cherry and blueberry and earth on the nose with soft supple tannins and a very long lasting finish.

Pressing onward we popped open the 2003 Domaine Chandon Carneros Pinot Meunier (thanks Bryce!). Both Richie and I were excitedly expecting a funk bomb of a wine. We were very pleasantly surprised when the wine revealed a fruit forward nose of cherry and rhubarb that continued on the palate! It was not funky at all, but a lovely fruit forward medium bodied wine exhibiting flavors of pomegranate and pie spice. It did have some earth on the nose but in no way was it overpowering. All in all I really enjoyed it. Pair this with black olives and spiced sausage.

And here we came to one of Richie's little jewels from his recent trip to Seattle; K Vintners 2004 "The Boy" a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre from Walla Walla Valley. Very impressive. It had a deep dark garnet-like color and a nose that at first was extremely difficult to decipher. We were all working very hard for at least 15 minutes on dismantling the nose to get to the flavors. The winemaker had so tightly integrated the varietals that we couldn't pull out aromas. It was as if a seamstress had woven the wine together, interlocking each varietal so that the aromas of each hit all at once. Finally, we were able to detect fig, slight leather, stewed fruit and black cherry. On the palate was cocoa, huge berries and a slight tea-like character.

Next we had another well traveled wine sourced from Richie and Megan's trip to Seattle, the 2003 Boudreaux Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. Good god! Two stellar Washington state wines in a row. Both are perfect examples of why Washington wines continue to get an exorbitant amount of press lately. I detected hints of vanilla, cola, dark chocolate and olive on the nose. The wine displayed a rich velvet texture that wallpapered my mouth. Wow! It was full-bodied and the finish went on for miles and miles.

And last, but not least, Michael finally showed up (a certain someone delayed his arrival.....hmmmmph) with a special treat...a 1988 Chateau Graud Larose. This beautifully aged Bordeaux was complex and impressive. It had an elegant aroma of leather, earth and sage. The palate exhibited a smoked meat quality, but it wasn't gamy or overpowering. The fruit on the wine had lightened but was still detectable. Pair with black olives, the olives will amplify the fruit in the wine.

Yet again another INCREDIBLE tasting. Thank you for hosting us Megan and Richie!