In Vino Veritas

So Meg asked me the other day what my top three favorite wines are. So I thought I would wax poetic about the grape and proceed to give my humble opinion.

First of all the disclaimers:

1. While I did go to Culinary School I am by no means a connoiseur! My experience is mainly from restaurant work as a cook and server, and as a fan of the vino myself.

2. I am a bit of a wine snob. I don't care if "they" are saying that twist caps are okay now....when I see a twist cap, you might as well be drinking Boone's.

3. While I am a wine snob........I am cheap. My specialty is finding really good wine for less than, say... $30 a bottle. And to be completely truthful I normally stay within the $8-$15 dollar range. There are good wines out there for cheap.

and finally.....
4. I don't care about vintage years. For many reasons (one being that they are almost always too expensive). If you find a winery that you like that consistently creates a good wine, go with it!

My first humble submission to you is the Shiraz/Syrah.
If you're looking at the wines at Taj Ma HEB and you see bottles with these names on them, pick them up. They are the same. Shiraz is from Australia/New Zealand, Syrah is from anywhere else (mainly Sonoma). You do have some Sonoma folks calling their wines Shiraz.....it really doesn't matter. If you like a meaty red that you can drink by itself or with any red meat/italian food than this is your wine. Let it breathe......freakin' tannins. And it will be your best friend. My favorite that I have had so far is the Francis Coppola Syrah's. Yes that's THE Francis Ford Coppola. He of The Godfather. So this is cool because it's a good wine, but also because Don Vito Corleone says so! A close second is the Rosemount Shiraz from Australia.

My second suggestion is the Pinot Noir. Made excessively in the Wine region of California. This deep red is also great to drink alone or with your favorite pasta or meat dish. A little less thick than the Shiraz, the pinot noir has more fruity elements (depending on the winery) and is much more subtle. I like my wines relatively smooth, with little to no aftertaste, the Pinot Noir is a good bet for this combination. My favorite of the Pinot Noir variety comes from Clos Du Val, it is a little darker than other types of Pinot Noir's. Yummy. A second fabulous pick in the Pinot Noir family is Iron Horse. A little more expensive than I normally buy, but this is a very good wine.

My third and final suggestion will be a White. I don't drink many white wines but when I do it is normally part of the Chardonnay family. I don't like my wines too sweet, and the dry, complex, spiciness of a chardonnay is a great compliment to a fish course, or to be consumed by itself. A recent favorite is Red Bicyclette. I also like Fat Bastard, maybe because I like saying Fat Bastard!

Just a quick word on pairing food with wine. I mention that some of these wines would be good with a particular type of meal. There is no longer an etiquette issue with wine.....just because you're eating Italian it doesn't mean you have to have a red. The same with fish and whites. Read the article at Wine.com that I gave you on pairing. Anything that can be consumed by itself....I am not advocating a better way to get wasted, by the way.....can be paired with anything you like.

Happy drinking! Just remember that it is best to enjoy a bottle of wine with some good friends and good food. Otherwise it's just sad!