The 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a very bold red and has a very deep fruit flavor. The website says, "This wine displays a bright crimson hue and enticing aromas of black currant, blueberry and cedar spice. The palate is rich and textured with flavors of sweet cassis, blackberry and black cherry carried by supple tannins through the long finish." I'll tell you what I liked and didn't like about this wine. I wasn't a huge fan of the large tannin presence. It was a bit too strong for my preference. I loved the deep fruit flavors but you have to hold the wine on your palate for a moment or two to get passed a spicy bitterness that dominates your senses at first. It has a really nice finish, a little brighter than what it's original impression gives you. This pairs nicely with a heavy meal or good cuts of beef. Have it with a good steak. I also like to drink this with cheese. Sometimes if I don't particularly like a wine, I'll try it with different foods to see if it changes the reception of the flavor on my palate. Dark chocolate normally works with spicy or earthy Spanish reds. Cheese works with bitter reds and fruits are great with deep, bold reds like this one which is also great with strawberries. This is something I've learned for myself but what something tastes like to me has the potential to be completely different for you. So just venture out of your comfort zone and don't knock it after the first sip. Play around with foods and see if any of them enhance the flavor so that you like it a bit better.
Houseboat felt like a great movie pick for a red wine, especially one so bold like this one. Sophia Loren stars alongside Cary Grant and she has such a strong personality that I just love. She's a great woman to represent Italian culture in America. Her presence gives us a positive image in my opinion and I have a lot of respect for her both as a person and as an artist. Houseboat is what I like to call a "dramedy." It's a comedy but not too silly making it a borderline drama. In Houseboat, Cary Grant's character, Tom, becomes a widower and finds himself the sole parent to his three children. After bad circumstances, Tom meets Cinzia, Sophia Loren's character, whose father is a wealthy orchestra conductor but is looking for a life of her own. She becomes Tom's nanny and in their move from the city to the country, their house gets hit by a train and they end up on literally a houseboat. After a lot of fixing, this place because home to everyone. It's a funny journey of two very different and stubborn people finding love, finding your way in life after a tragedy, adjusting to a major life change and looking at the good things in life. The red pairs perfectly with Sophia's sassy and no-nonsense attitude. If you're looking for an easy-going, light-hearted old movie, check out Houseboat. It's on Netflix right now too!
Next week will be the last Cary Grant movie for this particular round of pairings with a buttery white. The rose from last week was my favorite wine from this round but the white I'll be introducing you to holds a close second. I can't wait to share it with you.
