A wine you can't go wrong with
by: Vino Joe
05/09/05
Unless you are a silver-spooned brat who had been exposed to culture, cuff-links
and the finer things in life, wine is a difficult beverage to comprehend. Walk
into a wine shop (not a liquor store) and one is likely to be overwhelmed by the
myriad bottles stamped with incomprehensible labels -- most of which appear to
be in every language other than English. Except, of course, the California aisle
(you did realize that wines are usually organized by where they’re from?), where
you have a very good assortment of choices of labels that you can somewhat
understand, except that most bottles start at 15 bucks and go up from there. So
how does a guy find a bottle that’s affordable and enjoyable, without having to
take a six-month wine course or reading a book bigger than the yellow pages?
Easy:
look for the bright yellow label with the hand-drawn portrait and the name
Wrongo Dongo. Its name belies its quality; in fact, it is completely RIGHT, not
wrong, and at less than nine bucks, even a beer-bellied ding dong wouldn’t go
wrong by buying it.
Take a sniff of this red and you will be attacked by a wide-open array of
super-ripe berry fruits: blackberries, raspberries and boysenberries, and a
strange but intriguing hint of earth and coffee grinds. In the mouth it has
similarly ripe berry fruit flavors, with chunks of blackberry, black cherry and
vanilla oak, lined with a touch of chocolate licorice. The texture is smooth,
and the midpalate (the flavor evolving in your mouth before it’s swallowed) is
marked by a drying acidity and sweet ripe tannins that lead to an attractive,
balanced finish. This wine will match nicely with tacos and other Mexican
dishes, mild Indian cuisine, and everyday simple fare such as burgers and
barbecue chicken.
In some areas of the country, you might find this at $5.99 or $6.99, in which
case it is an absolute steal. Expect to find it in the Spanish section of the
wine shop for somewhere around $8.99.
Send any questions, comments or wine stories to vinojoe@bullz-eye.com.
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