Red Wine for a Tuesday Night

Thanks to the abundance of food we made over the previous two nights, last night we were able to dine on leftover Minestra di Ceci and Sugo di Pollo, meaning we'll probably get about 11 or 12 meals out of the ingredients we bought at the beginning of the week! Price to quantity ratio = excellent.

As such, the final meal of our Tour of Istria will be prepared tonight. In the meantime, we've got some wine recommendations and pictures of Herbie to keep you entertained today.

But guys, I really want the pasta!!

What do we mean by "for a Tuesday Night"?

Oftentimes we find ourselves in need of a good "go-to" wine, when we're not in the mood to experiment and try new things. We just want something we know will taste good, be drinkable, and most importantly, be inexpensive. Over time, we've identified a number of good wines that fit these criteria, and now we're sharing them with you. These are perfect for a Tuesday night (or any night) when you've got no one to impress or please but yourself, and can be found pretty much anywhere. 

No need to impress me with any fancy wines this time... I'm happy right here. 
 

The Wines

1) Menage a Trois Red.

This is a perfectly balanced blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet. It's got a full body, but isn't overly complex so goes down really easily. Probably Bryan's favorite. If you can find it for under $10, definitely buy it and stock up. You can drink it with just about anything, on any occasion.

2) Bogle Petite Syrah.

Petite Syrah is actually quite a different beast from Syrah and Shiraz. It's richer, smoother, and not as spicy as it's similar sounding friends.

This one is probably the most expensive of the wines on our list, usually found for around $12, but definitely worth the extra coin if you want a more complex, rich wine. It's one of the more affordable Petite Syrahs out there, and a great wine for the price.





3) Gnarley Head Old Vine Zinfandel.

We love zinfandels because they are big, spicy, and jammy (to use the win-o terminology. This one in particular has a huge, powerful flavor. As a result, we've found it to be a good compliment to spicy foods (Mexican, or some Asian foods) and steak.

4) Dancing Bull Zinfandel.

As noted, we love us some zinfandel. We were quite happy to find this one for a mere $8. While not as big and powerful as the Gnarley Head, it still maintains some of the zinfandel characteristics while being a bit smoother going down.

5) Root 1 Cabernet.

Cabernets tend to be a little more expensive, and the cheap ones tend to not be very good, so we don't drink them quite as often. So whenever we can find Root 1, we try to pick it up.

It's a Chilean Cabernet (which tend to have a very good price/quality ratio), and despite the price has a good full body, and nice balance. It goes well with spicy foods but is also a good complement for tomato sauces or chicken.

6) Rosenblum Zinfandel.

This is a recent discovery and we haven't seen it in too many places yet (it might be new?) but it is a new favorite of ours. Exceptionally smooth, but bold with lot of character and complexity. Also, around $10.

You can drink this with anything, as it's fairly flexible, and it's great on it's own as well.

7) Big House Red.

Finishing up the list is another really nice red blend. It's made up of California grapes and has a very new world quality to it. Not a ton of complexity on this one, but really drinkable. Since it's not that big or jammy, it's a good complement to pasta or chicken dishes.








We hope that helps with your decision making! If you have any other suggestions about good go-to wines for an evening in, leave them for us in the comments section below!

And, check back soon for the conclusion of our Tour of Istria!

T.G.I.F...It's been a long week!