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Wines (boxes) featured in today’s show:

• Franzia Cabernet Sauvignon  (~$12)
• Bota Box Cabernet Sauvignon  (~$16)
• Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon  (~$22)

Thinking (or rather drinking) out of the box:

Box wines get very little respect in the wine world and honestly I was not a big fan until I started working at Zipp’s.  They definitely have their place and many of them contain good wine.  Will you write poems about them?  Probably not.   But if you need to take something camping, to keep at the lake, for an event that calls for more than a bottle or two, or just something to keep in your desk at work for when you’re in desperate need of something ease the mental pain…they work great.  Ask your wine shop guy which one they recommend for each occasion.  They will have an opinion.

If you find the whole box too bulky, take the bladder out of the box and put it on ice in your cooler or shove it in your backpack.  They are surprisingly tough.

Jeff and I would love to hear about or see the creative ways you use your box.  Perhaps we will use them on the show!

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Wines featured in today’s show:

• Solemne Cabernet Sauvignon 2005  (~$8)
• Ste Chapelle Chateau Series Soft Red 2008  (~$9)

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

I understand I’m opening a can of worms that, honestly, I really have no desire to get into.  But almost everyday someone wanders into the store and asks for a specific wine style.  If I happen to utter the word “fruit” in my description of the wine, many snap their heads up and asks, “Is it sweet?”  NO!  Walk into any liquor store or wine shop in the U.S. and 95% of the wines there will be considered “dry”…meaning that almost all the grape sugars have been converted into alcohol.

By the way, I don’t want to sell the St Chapelle Soft Red short.  It is not my cup of tea but it is well balanced and well made and deserves a taste.  It would probably go great with anything you find at a Mexican deli.  And oddly enough…it’s from Idaho.  The wine world is a strange one.

The Solemne Cabernet from Argentina is something a little easier to work with.  The nice thing to remember about this particular Cab is the juicy fruit factor.  I’m sure it would be quite delightful with a burger that has some smokiness to it.  The sweet smoke notes combined with the  FRUITY (as in ripe NOT sugary sweet) notes should be pretty nice together.

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Wines featured in today’s show:

• Colores del Sol Malbec 2008   (~$11)
• Robert Mondavi Solaire Cabernet Sauvignon 2006  (~$16)
• Vino Con Brio Matzin Zinfandel  (~$18)

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

It shouldn’t be hard to figure out what to pair with these wines.   If you’re still struggling, we recommend you don’t compound the issue by drinking alcohol.

When I make steak, I usually prepare it like I did for the show.  I love the touch of heat combined with the caramelized sugar.  They provide great balance and can make even an average cut of meat seem pretty special.

Sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and pepper.  Add a pinch of hot red-pepper flakes to both sides and then sugar.  Don’t be stingy but you also don’t want heaps of white sugar on your meat…believe me.  Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and poke fork holes in the meat to help tenderize and get some of those spices and oil deep inside.  Let it sit at room temp for at least 15 minutes, then throw those babies on the grill for 4 minutes per side over med-high heat.   Remove from the grill, place on a plate, then cover well with aluminum foil for 5 minutes to let those juices flow back into the cooked sections, as well as to let the meet cook just a bit further.   Now you’re ready for one helluva steak!

~$16

Nose:

Big cherry and plum aromas with a back-drop of vanilla.

Palate:

Full bodied, moderate acidity, fairly dry but with sweet, round tannic structure.  Dense flavors of blueberry and blackberry, currant and a bit of mint.  Touches of coffee and chocolate on the mid-palate.  Long, juicy, well balanced finished.

As good, moderately priced California Cabernets go up in price (hello Avalon), along comes a new Mondavi product that exceeds it’s price point by quite a bit.  This is destined to become a staple “glass pour” at steak houses around the country.  Pretty much everything one is looking for in an inexpensive California Cab.  Buy a case and roll through it over the next two years.  Terrific value!

The Som Rating: 8/10 Scarlett Johansson Heads

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Wines featured in today’s show:

• 2006 L de Lyeth Cabernet Sauvignon (~$12)
• 2005 Columbia Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (~$15)
• 2006 Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon (~$19)

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

• One of the things that make Cabernet Sauvignon one of the great wines of the world is the same thing, to me, that make it a little boring.  It’s such an easy, fall back-go to wine.  Are you eating beef?  Steak?  Pot Roast?  Lamb?  Roasted chicken with root vegetables?  Grab a decent Cab and call it a day.  The darker fruit flavors, full body and above average acidity work well with a lot of beef based or roasted meat dishes.  It’s hard to even think of a perfect dish to try with a California Cab.   But if you really want one of my favorites, dig this:   lamb stew with onions and potatoes.
• Of the three wines we did this week, I think the Columbia Vineyards from Washington State would be the best match when you consider the weight of the wine with the dish.  The general flavor, the slight earthiness and round tannins will work very nicely with the earthiness and spice of the lamb, potatoes and onion.  Always remember Rule #1:  match the “weight” of the food to the “weight” of the wine.     The “flavors” of the wine are secondary; always start with weight.  Big, hearty dish equals big, hearty wine.  Light lunch with maybe some roasted chicken breast strips over a salad?  Pair it with a medium weight red or white with some refreshing acidity.   A dry Rose from Southern France would kill.