Wine Wednesday on 30a

Home Sweet Home
At 30afoodandwine we mostly focus on all the delicious cuisine available through our excellent local restaurant scene. But some autumn evenings just call for staying in, inviting friends over for a relaxed dinner party, and sipping wine porch side. I have a couple of fun wines to recommend this week for an evening experienced in the comforts of home.

The B Side Cabernet blend will be a mega hit for sure. This wine gets 90 plus scores from many different wine publications and I can certainly see why. Their new Bordeaux-style red—a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Syrah hails from Napa’s “flip” side – the valley’s eastern hillsides. This wine is really smooth with lots of dark chocolate and cherry. It is wonderful all on its own, but would also pair beautifully with a variety of food pairings from lighter fare like smoky grilled vegetables on to a meal of hearty beef stew served with garlicky roasted potatoes. Either direction will keep your guests’ toes tap pin.’

The 2012 Apothic Red from California is a blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It will surprise you with its notes of strawberry jam and fresh stone fruit with a bit of spice. This decadent blend has a soft mouth feel and you’ll also pick up subtle hints of oak and vanilla. This wine has really great mass appeal for lots of wine drinking palates. It would also pair nicely with many foods perfect for casual entertaining. You could serve it simply with a cheese plate filled with pungent rich varieties like Stilton, or go the barbeque route and enjoy with sticky ribs or chicken or lastly, combine both these sentiments and serve with gourmet lamb burgers topped with melty gorgonzola cheese. Any of these options it is sure to be a conversation starter and crowd pleaser.

Wine these and other fine wine selections at Chan’s Wine World on the Emerald Coast or Wild Olives in Rosemary Beach