Wine~n~Trip

Perusing my local grocer’s shelves of wine, I wondered what to pair with baked mahi-mahi. Drawn to the small Spanish section, my eye fell upon a garnacha (grenache). I began to salivate. Then, spinning the bottle around, my eyes popped when I realized I had unearthed the holy grail! I had, by dumb luck, stumbled upon an Eric Solomon European Cellars Selection*. And, the frosting on my cupcake, it was only $12!

Admittedly, I’m a glutton for grenache. But, would this grenache uphold Solomon’s reputation? Slicing off the foil, I sunk my corkscrew into the black, plastic cork. Unable to wait, I poured myself a small glass and took a sip. So far, so good.

As I let the wine molecules dance about in the open air, I cooked a dinner of mahi-mahi baked in olive oil accompanied by yellow bell pepper and zucchini sauteed in olive oil and garlic, finished with red wine and balsamic vinegar, newly-opened wine (of course), and red pepper flakes. Salad with homemade vineagrette and bread were also served as sides.

So, had I made the right decision? Let’s just say, I’ll be buying more of this glorious gem of a wine! Its toasty nose provided whiffs of cherry and black pepper. The fruit carried through on the palate in bursts of blackberry, blueberry, and hints of cinnamon. Mouth-feel was divine, and the fruit was balanced with acids and soft tannins that pleasured my entire palate. And the nearly-everlasting finish…bravo!

This is indeed a holy grail of find. When such a treasure awaits you for so little, why wait? Buy now, drink now, and enjoy!