Wines for autumn

Wine with Hillary: Savor the local flavor

Every fall, without fail, comes the inevitable question: "so what did you do all summer?" More often than not, I'm rather embarrassed that I don't have some amazing adventure to share. This year, however, I do have some adventures to share, for this summer I spent my free time drinking lots of wines, attending tastings, and even visiting a fantastic vineyard. From all the fun in the sun, here are some things I learned:

Wine with Hillary: Wines to fit your banquet budget

As the autumn sets in, I begin to think of my favorite wine accompaniment: food. Something about the cool weather makes me want to cook large quantities of tomato sauce, or soup, or any number of rustic foods. Below are two fall-themed dishes that feature yummy wine, one for a shoestring budget and one for the more flush among us.

Wine with Hillary

This piece represents the opinion of the author:

September 23, 2005

Autumn brings many changes to the environment?leaves changing color, an extra hour of sleep in October, and most importantly, nipple-numbing cold weather. Never fear, we are still due a few more days of delicious sunshine. So, this week I have wines that would be perfect to drink while outdoors and some that will keep your blood pumping in the cold.

Salmon Creek 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon ($4.10 at Tess' Market?and a tip: Tess's gives a 10% discount on mixed cases).

While it's a bargain, the Salmon Creek is far from a superstar of cab-savs. It's a totally pleasant red, not terribly complex at all. My tasters and I found it to be on the sweet side, lacking oak in its flavor. It had "a good smell, but overpowering," which was interesting since the wine is very mellow with almost no aftertaste. Not my favorite, but fine for sipping in the backyard with fresh fruit.

Heliopolis 2003 ($15.99 at The Market Basket in Rockport).

This white blend hails from the vineyards of beautiful island of Santorini, Greece. The flavor is somewhat difficult to describe, as it's very subtle. It's "definitely dry but not mouth puckering," said one of my tasters. I personally found it to be very leafy. My tasters noted that it has a "zing" to it. This wine is excellent for a date, not at all cloying or too heavy to be enjoyed on its own, but we recommend it with either seafood pasta or souvlaki.

Egri Bikaver 2002 Bull's Blood ($7.99 at the New Hampshire State Liquor Store).

This is a Hungarian wine that dates from 1552 and is called bull's blood because the Hungarians thought invaders were stupid. It is made from a blend of three or more grapes, including Kadarka, Kekfrankos, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Kekoporto varieties. The wine has an incredibly strong taste. I was reminded of Roquefort cheese. It is a wonderful cooking wine, making a great marinade for lamb, which we ate with mashed potatoes, accompanied by more of the blood. This is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Almedo 2003 Tempranillo, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon ($9.99 at Warmings).

My tasters and I diverged in our opinions of this wine. I rather enjoyed it, and they did not. One of my tasters found it "weird" and "stinging." Another taster described it as "Different from every red I've ever had." The wine is pretty dry, and it took a while to develop its full flavor. I strongly recommend decanting it, if at all possible. If you can't decant it, definitely give it at least an hour to breathe. All in all, it was an interesting wine that fostered great discussion.

Comments are permanently closed.