Recently, I had been struggling to find the perfect wine to go with whatever we were grilling, other than Waterstone Cab. Many wines were very nice but I hadn't hit that homerun yet this year; except, of course, with the Waterstone.
Well I nailed it this weekend. We had a great cut of steak and a heavily spiced pork tenderloin. I was taking a bit of a risk by going with a red and pork. But it was great! Perfect with the steak and the pork.
The wine: 2007 Craggy Range Te Kahu Vineyard - 91 RP - $19.95:
This is a Bordeaux blend from New Zealand. Now, I'm already a fan of Pinot Noir from New Zealand but hadn't tried any bigger wines from there yet. My wife and I loved it from the first sip before we even sat down with the food - SINGING! All for $20!! I think what really made this wine work is that it is a blend of the classic Bordeaux varietals but it's mostly Merlot. And it's obvious these Kiwis have Merlot down. It's what GOOD & AFFORDABLE California Merlot used to be. Soft, lush, fruit forward but elegant. The elegance is sure to come from the other varietals but the Merlot was definitely well bred.
Get this one by the case as it's sure to come in handy ALL SUMMER LONG.