Presenting Four Fruitful Red Wines

Wines, Wines, Wines. . . .

A World Full of Many Great Finds,

And Certainly a Variety of Kinds

Above is a picture of wine tankards found in the thousand-year-old Reichsburg Cochem Castle,  above the Mosel River, in Germany.  Per the tour guide, a tankard represented a full day's serving of wine for its owner. Kind of like an early travel mug.

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Today I present four fruitful reds I've recently found appealing: two Cabernets, one red blend, and a Claret that is smooth as can beeee! (Sing this to the spirited tune of the Twelve Days of Christmas.)

I'll start with Washington State's, Grand Estates, Columbia Crest, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013. It rated 90 points in the current issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Dependent on where you live, you will probably find at an average of $12/bottle. I actually bought it for $8.99. Keep in mind it's a good deal when a 90 point rating is given to an $8.99 Cabernet Sauvignon. It's certainly worth some serious consideration. That's what led me to it, and I thought it was good. I find hints of vanilla. Do allow some time for it to breathe. Try with Cabot extra-sharp cheddar cheese. From Vermont, Cabot is a good, moderately priced cheese, widely available.

                                                                  

Grand Estates, Columbia Crest, Cabernet Sauvignon

Moving on to the next Cabernet: Carnivor, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013, is rich, bold, with a smooth finish. It's a deep red with a wafting berry bouquet. I 've had Carnivor with a charcoal grilled (on my twenty-year-old Weber Kettle grill) New York Strip Steak along with a salad topped with bleu cheese dressing. It's also a tasty match with grilled pork chops. Overall, Carnivor is a fine red meat wine as its name suggests. This wine may be upwards to about $18.99/bottle, but you may be able to find it for less. Currently, I've been paying $11.99/bottle at a major supermarket, an excellent price for this wine.

                                                                         

Ignore Zeke the Cat. He has a dull palate.

Now, some words about what has become my current red blend favorite: Cupcake Vineyards, Black Forest Decadent Red, 2013, from Livermore, California. Decadent Red has a beautiful, berry, berry, berry rich color, flavor, and bouquet. It sells for about $10.00. The best accompaniment with this wine is CHOCOLATE cake or really, really good CHOCOLATE candy. This isn't an occasion for fun-size Halloween candy bars in a plastic bag. This is candy in a pretty wrapper or decorative box time. Someone gave me a lovely box of See's Chocolates for the holidays (actually, I'm that someone) and I tasted a few with the Cupcake. Makes one's eyes bulge a bit. Quite nice.

                                                                          

Notice--Bird in the Hand, None in the Bush

Finally, Guenoc, Victorian Claret North Coast, 2013, Middletown, California. A Claret is the English term for the red wines of the Bordeaux region of France. The Victorian Claret is a Bordeaux/blend red of 45% Merlot, 28% Petite Syrah, 22% Petit Verdot , 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. It's dark, yet soft in color, smooth, with a fragrant bouquet of cherries and raspberries. It averages about $12/bottle. The wine is produced at the Langtry Estate, named after its first owner, Lily Langtry, a well-known English actress. Her picture graces the label of the bottle. I enjoy this with lasagna.

Guenoc Victorian Claret

  

Like I said earlier, there is an enormous selection of wine out there, many at reasonable prices.

So, have at it, and Happy Tasting!