Whine

At this moment (yes, at almost 3 o'clock on a Sunday afternoon) I'm having a glass of red wine. It's an inexpensive Merlot my wife and I picked up at Trader Joe's on a recent trip. It's the Viñas Chilenas Reserva Merlot 2007. I've found a review of the 2006, which uses words like astringent and medicinal. Ditto. Yeah, this isn't my favorite wine in all the world, but I'd hate to waste it. ;-)

I much prefer the also inexpensive Epicuro Salice Salentino Riserva (also from TJ's). This wine is "crafted from 80% Negroamaro and 20% Malvasia Nera" grapes, which are two varieties I had never heard of before trying this wine. That wine is much better. In any event, just give me a nice Malbec and and a nice medium to medium-well steak and I'm good.