Posts Tagged ‘red currant’
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Region: California – Russian River Valley – USA
Cost: $15 – $20
Aromas of cherry and red currant lead into a light, smooth wine with excellent acid and very subtle tannins. Pair with pork, chicken, lamb, or salmon.
Recommendations: I had picked out several bottles of Pinot Noir for Thanksgiving, but this is the bottle that actually got opened during the feast of Turkey Day. The wine itself was very light, with a good bit of fruit flavor that went very well with the turkey, ham, and various sides we had for dinner.
The best part of the wine was the tannins though. Smooth and subtle, this wine was the perfect pairing for our Thanksgiving meal. Kenwood Vineyards recommends pairing this with pork, and I imagine this wine would go great with a pork tenderloin.
Either way, this is a great wine and certainly one worth picking up again for a Christmas dinner with similar food offerings.
Varietal: Tempranillo
Region: Spain
Cost: $20
Very purple coloring with aromas of red currant, kirsch, and plum that lead into similar flavors on the palate. Great with grilled food, including ribs, burgers, and beef or pork barbeque.
Recommendations: My wife and I disagree on some of the flavors of this wine, but since this is my blog, my opinion is the one that shall prevail. Sorry sweetie. I found the wine to be fairly fruit forward, though not in the same way that many California wines are, just that the fruit flavors were very prominent.
A heavy aroma of alcohol masks most of the aromas, but this does mellow as you let the wine rest in your glass, which gives you ample time to appreciate the deep purple coloring of the wine. Paired with some burgers and fries, this was a great wine to just enjoy a simple meal. I’d really like to try it with some nice juicy ribs, as I think the barbeque sauce would pair great with the fruit flavors of the wine. This is a great cookout wine that doesn’t need fancy food to be appreciated.
Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the wine.
