As much as some of us may dislike and delay saying goodbye to summer, there comes a point where sweaters and jackets, rather than shorts and swimsuits, are the order of the day here on Long Island, and that time has arrived.
With the seasonal changeover is also a shift from red to white wine. While many red wine drinkers and white wine drinkers will stay the course with their favorite color regardless of the temperature, most wine lovers will gradually move from the lighter colored and lighter bodied wines to the darker, heavier wines as the temperatures drop.
One beautiful, medium-bodied red wine for the slightly chillier days ahead and nights by the firepit or fireplace is the 2017 Estate Grown, Unfiltered, Merlot from Pellegrini Vineyards.
The 2017 Merlot from Pellegrini retails for $32.99 and the Pellegrini website suggests that it can be cellared for 10 years. This isn’t a bad investment as prices go. The only problem might be that it drinks beautifully right now. So, if you crack open just one bottle to sample, those bottles you have cellared might find their way up to your table well before the 10 years has passed.
This lovely red has good legs and notes of rich, dark, ripe blueberries, chocolate, and mint. Think thin mint cookies. The flavors meld together perfectly. The nose is equally decadent. But this is still a dry wine. This wine has a long, dry, satisfying finish. It has enough brightness with good acidity on the end to keep the medium-bodied red from being too heavy and to help keep it a food friendly wine. It is especially good with dark chocolate, and Halloween is on its way…
While it is food friendly, it also drinks very well on its own for when all the chocolate is gone.
