The weather today was horribly uncooperative with major thunderstorms and heavy showers for most of the late afternoon and evening. The solution to bad weather: red wine. Instead of going for a lighter more delicate white, we decided to open a nice red and cook inside (we really didn’t have much choice in the cooking arrangement as grilling was out of the question). Tonight’s wine is the Huffman Fire Side Red from Huffman Vineyards in Richlands, North Carolina.
This red blend is notably dark and inky in the glass. The deep garnet color would lead one to believe they are going to have a harsh or tannic wine. In this case, the purple indicates a more velvety mouthfeel and a smooth texture. The nose is upfront with twigs and berries with a gentle note of acetic acid and perhaps some black pepper folded in. The lighter body slides effortlessly over the tongue, allowing the flavors to gradually appear and develop over the course of a quarter minute or so. The fruity notes from the nose are the again present upfront. The velveteen mid-palate displays a slight chalk and spice, an effect that almost mutes the spices but still allows them to carry through. The finish is soft and supple and lingers for a while before fading into a gentle lingonberry finale.
We don’t recall what is in this particular wine as far as it comes to the grapes. The spice and pepper lead us to believe there is likely Cabernet Sauvignon. Some of the other fruity characteristics can be attributed to Merlot or perhaps Norton. Our bottle did have a little sediment in it, so we recommend either decanting the wine or letting the bottle stand upright for an hour before serving (opening the wine while letting it stand is never a bad idea either). We paired the wine with lamb meatballs, Greek style green beans, and a wild mushroom quinoa. The wine paired well and didn’t overpower any of the items on the plate.
Check out our other NC Wine Month postings:
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