Wine: Araucano Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is among the most popular grape varietals in the world. Classically, the color should be a deep hue of crimson to ruby and sparkle with purple reflections as it cascades around the glass. The aromas should create visions of black berries, Black Currents, and cassis. The palate should be dominated by the deep, dark fruit characters of blackberries, black cherries, and black currents riding along the bed of light, seductive spices.

Araucano Cabernet Sauvignon fulfills the classic expectations, but goes just a little further with essences of vanilla from French Oak Barrels and a light sensation of menthol/eucalyptus on the finish. Overall, a classic Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon that makes me smile and want more.

Perfectly paired against grilled sea bass seasoned with lots of garlic and black pepper and a side of grilled onions and horseradish mashed potatoes! Bon Appetite!

Wine: Altadonna Nero d’Avola

“The Black Grape of Avola” appears to have been selected by growers near Avola (a small town in south east Sicily) several hundred years ago. Initially, it was confined to the southern tip of the island but more recently has spread throughout the island though the best wine come of course out this area.

Altadonna serves as the négociant for some of the finest Nero d’avola for the money. At about $15 a bottle, this little bottle produces a lot of punch!  The fore of the palate is complex dehydrated flavors of blackberry, black currant, and light blueberries. On the middle region of the palate, a light leather texture appears toad to the complexity of this delightful wine preparing your mouth for the grand finale of light spices binding the perfect package of a Sicilian Wine with deep meaty dishes and hearty pizzas.

Nero d’avola is not a wine for the faint of heart as it has rich tannic structures to appeal to the lover of big, bold wines. Buy now and enjoy readily, or buy a case and drink a bottle every six months and watch this wine soften and evolve from a very butch, aggressive bear into a delicate Italian lady over the next few years.

Wine: Grayson Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

Grayson Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

We are always looking for that $15.00 bottle of wine that drinks like the $50.00 wine, and once in a long while we strike gold! Grayson Cellars is a small, family owned operation out of NAPA, California with a remarkable winemaker by the name if Larry Levin. Larry has quite a list of labels under his belt where he has made wine and has brought the best of those skills with him to Grayson Cellars where they produce some of the highest quality wines at the most affordable price points you’re going to find anywhere.

The winemaker’s notes on the Grayson Cellars’ Cabernet Sauvignon is (in my opinion) somewhat understated as it reads: “This Cabernet shows a dark, ruby color with a rich nose of ripe, dark cherries and blackberries. Its full bodied mouth feel leads to a lingering finish of toasted French oak.”

For me, I agree with the color and aromas, but find the fore of the palate rich with a vanilla spice dancing with dark cherries, back berries, black currants, and light cassis lingering through the mid-palate into a velvety rich, cocoa laden, silky finish mingled with bright pepper and spice.

While I find this wine luxurious and smooth enough to enjoy with nothing but a glass, it pairs beautifully with tons of foods as well. I personally find it a perfect pairing with quail stuffed with acorn squash roasted over an open fire with a side of bitter greens with light garlic butter.

At a retail price of $12.99, why not enjoy a pair of bottles instead of one and share with friends!

Grayson Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

Cheese: Shropshire Blue

Shropshire Blue

Shropshire Blue is a blue cheese made from pasteurised cows’ milk and uses vegetable rennet. The orange colour comes from the addition of annatto, a natural food colouring. It has been described as a cross between Stilton and Cheshire. The “Blue Veins are made in the same manner as roqueforti cheese.

The cheese has a deep orange-brown, natural rind and matures for a period of 10–12 weeks with a fat content of about 34 per cent. Made in a similar way to Stilton, it is a soft cheese with a sharp, strong flavour and a slightly tangy aroma. It is slightly sour but sharper than Stilton and generally creamier.

I recommend trying a Petite Sirah, Such as Writer’s Block with this cheese, richness of Petite Sirah tends to be balanced with a nice acidity for blue cheeses and these two are a pair in heaven!

Writer's Block Petite Sirah