Virginia Wine??

Anyone who knows my tastes knows I am not very supportive of Virginia Wines.  This is probably made worse by the fact that I favor red wines, but I find that although there are some good wines made in Virginia they always seem to be overpriced.  Therefore I was somewhat surprised when we discovered an affordable good Merlot in Barboursville this weekend.  Barboursville is a winery outside of Charlottesville Virginia which specializes in Italian style wines.  Their 2009 Merlot was only $15 at the winery and we bought several bottles.  It was smooth and well balanced and just begged for the proper food pairing.

            Going back to our comfortable tradition (not a rut), I made Sonoma Pork with roasted brussel sprouts and rosemary potatoes.  Although I have talked about the other menu items in this dinner, I don’t think I have mentioned my rosemary potatoes.  I make these from Idaho baking potatoes which I cut into strips like French fries.  These I toss with olive oil, fresh rosemary, and salt and pepper.  I spread them on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  If cooked properly they are very much like French Fries but without the extra calories and fat.  I highly recommend this as a compromise for those who may want to cheat on the diet just a little.

            The wine went very well with the pork and lived up to the promise we anticipated from our tasting this weekend.  And, typical of a Merlot, it was even better with the chocolate!!!