This big red offers flavors of sweet black cherry, plums, and spice with nuances of dried cherries. A good choice for grilled steaks, cheese stuffed pasta, or lasagna with a hearty meat rag_, and quite drinkable on its own. Vintner Andrea Bradford suggests decanting to allow it to open up and blossom. Just $26, it’s at Morovino tasting room in downtown Avila Beach.
You can reach New Times’ Cuisine columnist at khardesty@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Oct 16-23, 2008.