I am officially launching my first wine review, and I think I am already not living up to my pseudo mission statement introduction. My excitement got the best of me and I decided that my intention of pairing food and wine as best I could may not apply tonight. Earlier tonight I posted my first entry, and this left me with the urge of opening a bottle to celebrate. I didn’t care if I’d have to drink it with leftovers from lunch. More specifically fried eggplant sticks from my local Italian restaurant, combined with homemade sauce from the freezer, shredded mozzarella, and grated reggiano.
My choice of Lenz Merlot 2002 from the Northfork of Long Island was less to do with the food pairing as it was with the appreciation of what living so close to wine country has done for my taste buds. Ever since a couple of good friends started pouring wine on the weekend at a Northfork winery, I have got to taste wines I would normally not come into contact with. My merlot experiences of the past were always with California merlot that I always associated with dark full bodied red wines that left me thirsty and ultimately sweating from the heat or spice on the finish. The handful of merlots I have tried on the Northfork seem to be much more drinkable to me. Something about the light body or the brighter flavor that makes me inclined to search for these when in the market for merlot.
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