Two red wine recommendations
This entry was posted on 5/7/2007 5:48 PM and is filed under Drink.
The first wine I want to mention was suggested to me by a waiter at Truluck's Restaurant in Austin. I was looking for a nice red wine which would hold up to their Goat Cheese Napoleon, a dish which is a medallion of goat cheese encrusted in pecan meal and then lightly pan fried. it is served with a mescalun mix and with a red pepper coulee.
While I would normally order a white, since I always have the crab claws and seafood as an entrée, I was really in the mood for a red and asked the waiter for a suggestion. His choice was a Pinot Noir made by a California winery called Radog. I was a little suspicious at first, since a glass of the wine was $15.50 and the bottle was $62, the most expensive Pinot Noir on the list, but I didn't want to insult him and so decided to try it. I was confident that if it had not been worth the price Truluck's would have taken it off the bill.
That wasn't necessary. The Radog Pinot Noir was the best I have ever had. As I've said before, my palate isn't sophisticated enough to taste chocolate, berries, or any of the other things I have heard people say they taste but I do know what I like and what I don't. I like the Radog very much.
I believe it is available over the internet and I would highly recommend you give it a try. If you do, tell them you heard about it here. I don't make anything off of it, but I would like for more people to visit the site.
The second wine I am recommending is a "wine in a box". I had been reading about the health benefits of a glass of red wine a day. While I'm not a connoisseur, I can tell when a wine has been open for a couple of days and thought the wine in a box might be a good choice. The fellow at the liquor store was NO help since I asked him for a recommendation and his only response was a semi snarled "they're all about the same".
He was wrong.
I purchased a box which is the equivalent of four bottles, and chose a 2004 Merlot, made by Black Box Wines. I have tasted several others, and found them drinkable, but not something I would order or choose. I am happy to say that this wine was different.
While it doesn't compare to many of the better wines I've consumed, it goes extremely well with a grilled steak, or just by itself, to be sipped on when I choose. I've had this box open for over a month with little or no discernible loss in flavor. Plus, it was around $20 for the box so it is economical as well.
If you want an inexpensive red, or are hosting a party where a box wine is appropriate, or just want to drink a glass a day, this one gets a thumbs up from me.
