Coastal Vineyards Finds your Perfect Red Wine

By Rocco 'Boss Hog' Loosbrock

What is wine anyway? It's just some grape juice saved in a bucket for some time until it becomes, well wine. People across the globe drink the stuff, and there are some who devote their entire lives to understanding the science of it. Call me ill-educated, but I am not one of those people. I don't swirl and sniff. I don't swirl and sniff and eyeball either. I drink. I drink wine because I like it, not because I like chemistry.

I hear that each wine has a specific occasion that it should be invited to. Chardonnay for light summer dinners, viognier is meant to impress company, zinfandel is for your spicy curried concoction. Merlot, well merlot has become the odd duck in the wine world. It's gotten a bad rap since Sideways, that oh so famous film totally obsessed with the juice. Ever since we think we'll be sneered at or judged when we pull it out of the cabinet; we usually steer clear of it just to keep up with the Joneses. Do not be so easily peer pressured.

Merlot is an oldie but a goodie. It goes well with cheeses, meats (reds, poultry and fowl), and even your summer picnic lunch. You can go into the hairy details of what most wine connoisseurs enjoy: taste, body, smell, background, sight, the list could go on. But let's face it: when you like it, you like it. And when you feel like you want a nice glass of merlot to go with your steak for dinner, than by all means do it! Don't let the snooty wine person in the back of your head rule your life. You are your own person, with your own tastes. Embrace the cravings! Dig into that steak and drink in that lovely rosy friend of his.

If you're looking for something that's a particularly good match with red meats, Coastal Vineyards offers a fine example in their merlot from Vista Verde Vineyards (www.megawine.com). Bottled and vinted on site, the wine is smooth, earthy, and full of body. Just what the doctor ordered when it comes to the red, red wine. It would be perfect with your steak or even your cheese and crackers under the old peach tree. So don't be self-conscious when you're choosing your wines. Confidence is key. And what brews confidence in food more than your own cravings?

As I said, I'm not into wine for the chemistry. I drink wine because I like it, and who I am to question my own thirst?

I'm in it for the cravings,
Brigette Stevenson
www.cvwine.com