Dinner

Sometimes it just comes naturally... yes, I'm bragging. Tonight, my daughter, Jamie and I decided to have a nice dinner. We had a great show last night at Moctezuma's in Whittier - our vocals were right on the money and the energy was good. We felt like we earned it. So, tonight, we created a meal of Pepper-Bacon-Wrapped scallops, Grilled Portabella Mushrooms with Red Onion, a Romaine Salad with Yellow Bell Peppers, Tomatoes on the Vine, and Avocado from our backyard tree. The main course? USDA Prime Sirloin steak rubbed in mildly spicy Cajun seasonings.

The wine? 2008 Mollydooker Shiraz. Yes, it does come naturally - or seemingly so, with the good folks at Mollydooker. Yeah, they come from the land down under but, tonight, I felt like I lived on the land up above. Not because of the mellow feeling after enjoying such a meal... but because the taste pairings all around... the 'flow' as it is, was perfect.

It might be an easy assumption that the appropriate wine would be one of the Cabernet selections from Northern California and, I would agree - it would be hard to go wrong. But, this wasn't a meal short of diverse flavors. I'm not really sure that a California Cabernet short of $100 would have held up under the weight of the spices, peppers, and, did I mention, balsamic vinaigrette dressing?!!!!

The 2008 Mollydooker Shiraz is a natural. This is a wonderful wine... filled with bold flavors of blackberry, black licorice, and black cherry.... drank very nicely with the blackened steak!

Now I don't presume to have the most discerning palate. I'm not a sophisticated wine drinker by any means. I drink what I like so that I like what I drink. That's it. But I think my taste buds are in tune even if my mental arsenal of adjectives is not. I still taste the wine... it's amazing. After all of this food, you'd think my taste buds would be dead. Not so. And there's still more wine left.

The 2008 Mollydooker Shiraz is flat out delicious. It's a natural. Just go with it.

Pillar Box Red

2007.  Wine Spectator 83 points. Not bad.  Not great.  Tasty.  Bold.  Goes great with Pepperoni Pizza.  $5.99 at Costco.   Jumping Jack Flash it's a gas gas gas!

Shoofly

Put it simply, I love finding a great deal on good wine.  Then again, if I can find a great wine for a good deal, that's even better. 

If the good deal means I pay less than ten bucks for a delicious bottle of wine, then sign me up now!

The 2008 Shoofly Australian Shiraz fits in that really good under $10 bottle.  Like I've said before, this is always a cool thing when I find something that could easily pass for a bottle two to three times the amount (never mind those chain restaurants that sell $10 bottles for $40)...

This wine kicks ass.  It's got great dark berry fruit, a nice peppery finish, enough acidity to enjoy with pizza, spaghetti, burgers, or just drink on its' own. 

Did I mention a hint of black licorice... my favorite? 

This stuff is pretty easy to find, especially if there's a World Market nearby.  Look it up.  Buy a case.  Just have it around... well, just in case.

Shoofly.  A really good wine at a great price!

Cheers!

Sea Smoke on the Water

I remember hearing the Deep Purple classic back in 1973 or so in junior high school. We had a dance and the opening chords of this song infiltrated my brain and I was an instant fan. My next album was Machine Head. It rocked. I decided to buy more Deep Purple albums after that.

They were good.

But they weren't Machine Head.

I was unable to recreate the same feelings and reaction that I had when I first heard Smoke on the Water.

I had a similar experience with Sea Smoke Southing. The 2005 and 2006 were incredible. I couldn't get enough. These wines had the depth and structure of cabernet. Intense. Full bodied. I figured that I would just keep buying Sea Smoke wines forever and ever.

I bought the 2007 last year.

It's not as good.

We opened it last Saturday night and it's not great.

I expect greatness for $50 per bottle. Plus Tax. Plus Shipping.  I have a right to.

It's not great.

It's good... but has almost no depth. It's not unpleasant tasting but it's wimpy. Like if Deep Purple started covering Barry Manilow songs.

We drank it anyway. Because it cost $50. Plus Tax. Plus Shipping.

But it wasn't worth it.

After, I plucked a 3-day old bottle of 2007 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet.

It walked all over the Sea Smoke.

The fog cleared. The $7.99 bottle was better than the $50 bottle. And I didn't have to pay shipping.

I'm not disappointed, though. It's like music. Just because an album is great doesn't mean the next one will be. Except it's not like music.

Once you drink the wine, it's gone. You can't go back and drink it again.

But I can go back and listen to Machine Head over and over again. And enjoy it with several bottles of $7.99 wine.

And I won't miss the Sea Smoke at all.

But I'll have Smoke on the Water.

And, at least this year, that is even better.

Cheers!