Every year in the dead of winter when temperatures plummet, I like to do a wine blog on comfort food and wine. Let’s face it, this is the time of the year we are craving and making our favorite comfort foods. As we all know, nothing goes better with comfort food than a cozy fireplace and a glass of wine. It’s a match made in heaven!
So here are a couple of pictures of some of my favorite comfort foods… beef stew, ribs and pasta. Have I mentioned how much I love comfort food… (and wine) Well I tried a new wine this past week that will go with any comfort food you can dream up.
This is the Chateau Tour De Buch Bordeaux and I enjoyed the 2010 vintage last Saturday evening with a steak. Bordeax is one of those classic great wines. Always a blend, this wine has 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot & 2% Petite Verdot. This particular wine hails from the Medoc region on the Left Bank of Bordeaux. Lots of dark rich fruit, blackberry, herbs and subtle oak. I really enjoyed this wine and it’s a great price for a Bordeaux, around the $20 range.
Like you, this is the time of the year I probably use my crock pot the most. How can you not love a slow cooker. What I love about this unit is that it does all the work, and fills your home with yummy aromas. On the menu this weekend, beef tips in a red wine sauce. I know.. yum! Which wine to serve with this meal? I can go a couple of different routes. If I was serving white, it would be this Chardonnay.
The Mer Soleil Reserve Chardonnay from the Santa Lucia Highlands in California was one of my favorite Chardonnay finds from 2015. This wine is golden, buttery and oh so rich. A perfect compliment to the beef tips for all my white wine loving friends. If I’m serving red, it’s probably going to be one of these two.
Both wines are from Beringer and both are super rich, super flavorful and were made for beef tips in a red wine sauce done. The wine on the left is the Waymaker red wine blend from Paso Robles, a fairly new offering from Beringer. A blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Mourvedre, it’s full-bodied with peppery notes that is a great wine for any beef dish. The Beringer on the right is the Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and is my new favorite Cab. Flavors of mocha, licorice and dark fruits, it is a spectacular wine that is supple and versatile and a great find.
My new wine of the week….
Is an Italian wine, the Urceus Primitivo Di Manduria from Puglia in the southern part of Italy. Primitivo, being first cousins with Zinfandel, is a great comfort food wine. This new find is a great value, coming in at $18.80 a bottle, but tasting like a $30 bottle. Rich and flavorful with smoky notes and hints of pepper, a great comfort food wine. And one that I will be buying again because of the great value.
Yes, I know I said this was going to be me last Saturday night. Well, they are calling for some nasty weather tonight, so I think I will do it again. Put on my fireplace, pour a glass of wine and enjoy the warmth of my home.
Till next week, Cheers
Darlene
Wine-It’s Just My Opinion 