beer, wine & spirits: January 2008 Archives

It's probably painfully obvious that I'm no professional wine reviewer. I hope to work that to my advantage. After all, if it were me, I'd want you to cut out all the bloated pretense and just tell me if it tastes good or not.

So, on with today's review. I wasn't sure what to think about a winery with a sense of humor, but this Napa Valley wine was quite delicious. The first sip tasted like apples. It was a little sweeter than we expected, but it paired very well with the Lemon Caper Chicken and pasta that we had for dinner. I'd buy this one again.

Before any of you wine snobs start in with, "I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot!", I have a confession to make—ok, two really. First, I love a good Merlot. Second, I only tried Casillero del Diablo because I liked the name (Devil's Cellar) and the cool logo.

I'm glad I did. If you're new to wine, this one from Chile is as great a place as any to start. It has a lighter, fruitier body, and is less dry than is typically characteristic of the Merlots I've tasted. Normally I'd pair a wine like this with steak or salmon, but last night we enjoyed most of the bottle with Wasa Sourdough Rye crispbread, mozarella cheese and summer sausage. Delicious.

If this is all the Devil's got waiting for me in his cellar, then I happily accept my fate.