Random good food pairings

I rummaged through one of my three wine coolers to find a wine to pair with a simple dinner of black bean soup, chips, salsa and guacamole. I pulled out this bottle of Kestrel Vintner's Red Table Wine that has been hiding for a while--it must have been a Touring and Tasting wine club offering. So, here's the news--pair it with Mexican flavors for a big win!

Kestrel Vintner is in central Washington, with some of the oldest vines in the state. Their soil, deposited from past glacial activity, and their long summer nights and cool temperatures provide ideal terroir. "There is plenty of sunshine, a long growing season, virtually no chance of harvest rainfall, and control of the water supply through drip irrigation… Washington State is now one of the worlds’ most exciting viticultural regions." --Robert Parker Consumer Guide

The inky, rich Red Table Wine is made from mostly Merlot, Syrah and Cab. It has a slight mineral taste and tons of dark fruit overlaid with vanilla and tobacco. A couple of years ago, Touring & Tasting had the 2007 Kestrel Malbec, a single varietal which I could not find currently on Kestrel Vintner's website, that was a plush and full-bodied example of the grape with the same distinctive minerality found in the Red Table Wine. As Harvey Steiman wrote in Wine Spectator: "[Washington wines] all share Washington's signature attributes of pure fruit flavors that balance with moderate alcohol, acidity and tannins. Some rise into another realm, coaxing layers of complexity that make for compelling sips, often at very reasonable prices."
I'd say Kestrel wine have risen to "another realm"! If you're fortunate to have a bottle of one of these profound Kestrel reds, pair it with the Creamy Polenta Pie Casserole.

I was out at the spectacular Sunstone Winery today, talking to the hospitality manager about hosting one of our new Inside Wine - Santa Barbara wine tasting meetings. Stopped at Grappolo for lunch--a bit of Italy with fresh ciabatta bread and arugula salad, but with an Asian twist--sesame crusted seared ahi. Not bad with a glass of the Foley Grenache Rose´.