Posts Tagged ‘medium bodied’
Varietal: Malbec
Region: Argentina
Cost: $12
Dark coloring with a nose of ripe fruit. Ripe fruit at the beginning with a smooth finish featuring just a touch of tannins. Will pair well with red meat, red sauce, or pizza.
Recommendations: I’ll be the first to admit that my wife and I picked up this bottle because of the label. Hologram style label will change depending on how you look at it, but you’ll quickly forget about it after you’ve started drinking this smooth red.
Paired with a meal of pasta with red sauce and meatballs, the smoothness of the wine did an excellent job of cutting through the acidity of the tomato sauce. I imagine this would have paired really well with a good steak, and almost lament that I didn’t get the chance to enjoy it with one.
If you’re already a fan of Malbecs, the Lo Tengo is worth checking out for the label alone, and if you’ve never had Malbec before, this is a great one to start with. Definitely worth the money and I recommend you try it.
Varietal: Red Table Wine (merlot, cabernet franc, chambourcin)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $16
Medium to Full-bodied, the Galena Creek Red from West Wind Farm Winery is a dry red featuring berry flavors that lead into a very dry finish with high levels of tannins.
Recommendation: I paired this wine with a steak, and it’s a good thing I did. The tannins on this wine give it a very dry finish that is perfect for pairing with juicy red meat such as steak or lamb, but would probably be a bit overwhelming by itself unless a very dry wine is something you like to enjoy by itself. At $16 it’s just slightly pricy for an every day red table wine, but it’s still a good value and an excellent substitute for a dry chianti to pair with a meal of pasta and meat sauce. If you’re not a fan of wines with a dry finish, this probably won’t appeal to you, but if you like a red wine that hits you in the back of the throat and isn’t shy about its tannins, this is a wine you should try to get your hands on.
Varietal: Carmenere/Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Chile
Cost: $21
Numerous aromas accompany this wine, with berry spice and earthy notes leading the way, but moving into blackberry and coffee after the wine has been allowed to breath for a while. Flavors of blackberry and a smoke compliment the fruits, only to be finished with a tannins that border on a peppery finish. Will pair well with everything from veal to duck and on to hearty red sauces.
Recommendations: I really liked this wine. I mean I REALLY liked this wine. South America has been producing some amazing wines, and this one is no exception. It flirts on the line between medium-bodied and full-bodied, but never crosses over into either. The tannins on the finish gave it an almost peppery finish that almost reminded me of Cabernet Franc, but also a good Bordeaux. The longer I let the bottle sit, the better the wine got, and I would recommend that anybody that tries this at least let the bottle sit for 10 to 15 minutes, though decanting would probably be the best. This wine will compliment any upscale dinner party you’re hosting, but the price won’t make you cringe every time you pour some out. A great blending of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere have created an excellent wine. This is a must buy.
Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the wine.
Varietal: Garnacha (also known as Grenache)
Region: Spain
Cost: $20
Very dark red coloring leads into a surprisingly medium-bodied wine. Very subtle aromas of berry are followed by equally subtle flavors of cherry and spice. The subtle flavors allow this to pair well with most foods, as the aromas and flavors of the wine will compliment rather than over-power whatever it is paired with.
Recommendations: I was very surprised by this wine when I took the first sip of it. The dark red coloring of it lead me to believe that it was going to be of a much bolder flavor than it turned out to be. That’s not to say that I was disappointed in the flavors, only that it wasn’t what I expected when I saw the wine in my glass. The subtle flavors of this wine are what I love about a lot of medium-bodied wines: they work with whatever you’re eating, not against it. While I enjoyed this wine by itself, it’s easy to imagine pairing it with everything from something rich like steak or lamb to something as simple as pizza. Spanish wines are slowly but surely claiming more of my wine cellar every time I visit my local wine store, and its wines like this 2007 Bodegas that are the reason – wines that go with anything. If you see this in your store, grab it. You won’t be sorry.
Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the wine.
Varietal: Malbec
Region: South America – Argentina
Cost: $7.99 – $9.99
A spicy nose with aromas of white pepper and anise, a fairly fruity taste that features flavors of berry and plum. A very mild red, with a very light finish.
Recommendation: I’m a big fan of Malbecs, and the Gouguenheim was no excpetion. I’ve had this wine a couple of times now, and both times it was enjoyable to drink by itself or to pair with food. This wine is light enough that you can enjoy it with food that has a bit of spice to it without wishing for something more refreshing. Whether you’ve been drinking Malbec for a while or you’re just looking to experiment with it, I really do recommend this wine.
