Heavyweight Reds
By Adam Scoppa |
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My dear mother recently made an interesting justification as to why she has started eating spicier foods and drinking red wines with bolder flavors.
"I feel like, as I get older, I'm losing my tastebuds," she said. I'm sorry, Mom!
Does that actually happen? Well, yes, to a degree, just as sight and hearing are sure to fade with age. I decided to experiment with some heftier, palate-pounding reds in order to prepare for the inevitable decline of my senses.
The relative boldness of a red wine is measured in a few different categories, and typically one aspect will follow the other. These wines can be thicker and weightier on the tongue, have a high acidity, more detectable tannins, or richer, darker flavors. Some people crave these styles. As one friend declared, "I love feeling the enamel get stripped from my teeth." Yikes.
The usual suspects, depending on style and region, include the Cabernets, Merlot, Nebbiolo, Malbec, Pinotage, Zinfandel, Syrah, and Grenache, among others. As you'd expect, these wines work well with hearty dishes that can stand up to their intense flavors. I wouldn't recommend gulping down a young Borolo with your shrimp scampi.
Consider spending some quality time with these:
Qupe Syrah
Santa Barbara, California
2006
This wine's aromas dive into your nostrils immediately with notes of cocoa, earth, and black pepper. Plenty of oak on the palate, as well as a host of berries, clove, and graphite (what, didn't you eat pencils as a kid? I'm the only one?). It exhibits some sturdy tannins, but is ultimately smooth and velvety on the tongue. - $27
La Posta Malbec
Argentina
2007
The nose is earthy and smoky, giving way to dark flavors of plum and cassis on the palate. Subtle and refined, with a hypnotic depth and a generous finish: this wine is simply delicious in every way. - $22
Ramey Claret
Napa, California
2005
54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 7% Syrah, 1% Petit Verdot
If the wine is a Claret (Bordeaux-style blend) from California, you can count on it to be a bit large. This wine weighs as much as an elephant on my tongue (on second thought, I don't want to think about how that would taste), but the soft, refined tannins are welcome with the complex flavors of black raspberry and a little dried cranberry. - $32
Wine List Spotlight:
The first thing you notice about the Burgundy Room is the atmosphere, which practically oozes onto the street. At once cozy and spacious, this ace wine and tapas restaurant is the perfect place to get lost in a bottle or two. The meticulously organized list boasts 50 wines by the glass and over 300 by the bottle, which are available to take home for state-minimum retail prices.
The Burgundy Room
641 N High St.
(614) 464-9463
www.burgundyroom.net
By the glass picks:
Schloss Gobelsburg Reisling (Austria) $8/glass
Bodegas Altun Rioja Crianza (Spain) $7/glass
D'Arenberg "The Footbolt" Shiraz (Australia) $8.50/glass
By the bottle picks:
Egly Ouriet Brut Champagne (France) $80
Peter Franus Zinfandel (U.S.) $38
Fratelli Revelo Barolo (Italy) $62
Originally Published: November 1, 2009
